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SYMBOLISM 



OF 



ODD-FELLOWSHIP 












■-■ , ,t;n> 






BY 



WM. HENRY FORD 

n 
P. G. and P. D. D. G. M. of New York. 



1904 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 

PROVIDENCE, R. I. 



*' 



\ 



LIBRARY »f CONGRESS 
Two C»pies Received 

MAR 14 1904 

Copyright Entry 

CLASS ^ XXc. No. 

COPY 8l 




Copyright. 1903. 
By WM. HENRY FORD. 



PRESS OF 

Hausauer, Son & Jones, 
buffalo, n. y. 



TO ALL 

odd fellows, 
4 " Seekers after Truth," 
in the hope that it may be of 

some help thereto, 

this work is most respectfully 

dedicated. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



I. 

2. 

3- 

4- 

5- 

6. 

7- 
8. 

9- 
10. 

11. 
12. 

*3- 

14. 

i5- 
16. 



i7- 

18. 

19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 

2 3- 



24. 

2 5- 
26. 



Frontispiece 

Title Page 

. 19 

In the text. 

In the text. 

In the text. 



Portrait of the Author, .... 

The All-Seeing Eye, .... 

Abraham's Sacrifice, .... 

Hieroglyph "Osiris," .... 

Hieroglyph "I make," .... 

Hieroglyph "He makes," 

Altar of Burnt Offerings, 

Altar of Incense, ..... 

Altar of Odd-fellowship, 

Antique Anchor, ..... 
From an old coin in the British Museum. 

Landing of Noah's Ark, 

Ark of the Covenant, .... 

Hieroglyph "Sunbeam," ... In the text, 

Sheaf of Arrows, ..... 

The Axe, 

Antique Axe, 

From a bas-relief of Esus, the God of Nature of the 
Gauls, a Celtic Monument discovered under the Choir of 
Notre Dame Cathedral and preserved in the Cluny Mu- 
seum, Paris. 

The Bee-Hive, ........ 44 

Hieroglyph "King" (Bee), ... In the text. 45 

The Bible, 50 



24 
24 
24 
26 
28 
29 

3 1 

34 
36 
37 
3§ 
41 
4i 



Archaic Bow, ........ 

Bow, Arrows, and Quiver, ...... 

Cymbals, ......... 

From Rawlinson's Seven Great Monarchies. 
Pectoral of Amenemhat, ...... 

A gold Breastplate found by M. deMorgan in an Egyptian 

Tomb. 
Aaron's Budded Rod, 
Jewish Shekel, ........ 

Roman Fasces, ........ 



56 

57 
58 

61 



64 
64 

65 



Vlll. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



27. The Bundle of Sticks, 

28. Egyptian Censer, 

From Smith's Bible Dictionary. 

29. Gimmal Ring, 

30. Interlinked Gimmal ring, 

A prototype of the "Three Links 

31. The Coffin, . 

32. The Crook, 

33. Ankh, ...... In the text 

34. Tail Cross, .... 

35. Fylfot or Swastika, 

36. Passion or Latin Cross, 

37. Cross of Calvary, 

38. Ancient Mexican Altar Piece, 

Showing a Cross of beautiful design. Found in the 
ruins of a prehistoric city near Palenque, Mexico, in 
1837, by Mr. John L. Stevens. 

39. Patriarchal Cross, 

40. Pontifical Cross, 

41. St. Andrew's Cross, 

42. Greek Cross, 

43. Maltese Cross, 

44. Cross Pattee, 

45. Labarum, 

46. Crossbones, 

47. Antique Crown, 

48. Atef Crown, . 

49. Celestial Crown, 

50. Shield of St. Albans 

51. Ducal Crown, 

52. Mural Crown, 

53. Naval Crown, 

54. Crown Valary, 

55. Eight-Cornered Stone, 

56. Conventional Symbolic Dove, 

57. The Dove with Olive Branch, 

58. Eight-rayed Star, In the text 

59. Cube, 

60. Patriarchs Militant Escutcheon, 



66 
69 

74 

75 

78 
84 
85 
87 
87 



89 



90 

90 

9 1 

9i 
92 

92 

93 
94 
94 

95 
96 

96 

97 

97 

97 

98 

99 

105 

106 

no 

no 

114 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



IX 



61. 

62. 

63. 
64. 

65- 
66. 
67. 
68. 
69. 

70. 

72. 

73- 

74. 

75. 
76. 

77- 

78. 

79- 

80. 



82. 

84. 

85- 
86. 



87. 



89. 
90. 
91. 



Patriarchs Militant Subordinate Eschutcheon, 

Hieroglyph "Truth," . . . . In the text. 

The Badge of the Prince of Wales, 

Pentagram of Health, 

Triangle of Four, . 

The Globe, 

The Globe in Full Light. 

The Heart and Hand, 

Three Annulets Interlaced, 

A possible Heraldic prototype of the " Three Links. 
Hieroglyph "Rays of the Sun," 
Cornucopia, or Horn of Plenty, 
The Hour Glass, 
The Lamb, .... 
The Lily, .... 
The Lion, .... 
Manchester Unity Coat of Arms, 
The Sun and Moon, 

From Hulme. 
The Moon and Seven Stars, 
Chinese Well, . . . . .In the text. 

Pilgrim's Scrip, Sandals, and Staff, 
Rebekah and Eliezer, . HJl 

From the painting by Murillo in the Royal Museum, 

Madrid. 
Shekel of Jerusalem, ....... 

The Good Samaritan, ....... 

From the painting by J. J. Henner. 
Sandals, ......... 

The Scales and Sword, ....... 

The Judgment of Amenti, ...... 

From the "Book of the Dead," (Papyrus of Hunefer) 

in the British Museum. 
Sceptres, ......... 

From Egyptian Monuments. 
The Scythe, ......... 

Seal of the Sovereign Grand Lodge. 

The Serpent, ........ 

Pythagorean Diagram, .... In the text. 



114 
117 
117 
121 

125 
128 
129 
141 
142 

145 
145 
147 
161 
167 
169 
170 

175 

176 
180 
190 
196 



197 
201 

206 
209 
210 



213 

214 
216 
218 
220 



X. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



92. 

93- 
94. 



95- 



2. Egyptian Soldier. From 



Double Interlaced Triangle, 

The Skull and Crossbones, 

Spears, 

i. Canaanitish Soldier; 
Egyptian Monuments. 

The Sun in Splendor, ....... 

A Badge of Richard III, from the illuminated Manu- 
script No. 13 19 of the Harleian Collection. The Cut rep- 
resents the sail of the ship in which the King returned 
from his unfortunate expedition to Ireland. 

96. Winged Sun, ........ 

From the door of the chapel of Thotmes at Deir-el- 
Bakhri, xviii Dynasty. 

97. Sun-Snake, .... 

98. Assyrian Sword, 

99. The Sword with Crook and Crown, 

100. The Tables of Stone, 

101. Triangle of Ten, 

102. The Tent, 

From Thompson's "TheXand and The Book." 

103. Triquetra, .... 

104. The Three Links, 

105. The Three Pillars, 

106. Interlaced Triangle, 

107. Triskele, .... 

108. Hieroglyphic "Ankhs and Rods," 



230 
231 
232 



236 



236 



. 


237 


. 


238 


. 


2 39 


. 


243 


. 


246 


• 


248 


3k." 




. 


255 


. 


256 


. 


257 


... 


261 


... 


262 


In the text. 


267 



ENDORSEMENT. xiii. 

Office of John W. Stebbins, 

Past Grand Sire, 
Sovereign Grand Lodge, I. O. O. F. 

Rochester, N. Y., Oct. 19, 1903. 

I have just read, in manuscript, with much care and deep interest, 
the work of Bro. Wm. Henry Ford on the " Symbolism of Odd-fellow- 
ship." 

It is an exhaustive compilation, I may say a Cyclopedia, of the 
Origin, Significance, and Meaning of the Emblems and Symbolism of 
Odd-fellowship; and not only Odd-fellowship but much that pertains 
to other Orders, the Church, and non-secret Bodies that make use of 
emblems and symbols in imparting Knowledge. What is readily 
obtainable in this work would require weeks or months of research 
elsewhere. 

Emblems and Symbols lay at the foundation of all Knowledge. 
Their significance and true meaning cannot be overestimated, and the 
book should be in the hands of every one who desires a knowledge of 
"the why and wherefore" of such things, in regard to which great 
ignorance prevails even amongst our most learned . 




PRINCIPAL WORKS CONSULTED IN PREPARING 

THIS BOOK. 

Sod, by S. T. Dunlap. 

Science and Literature in the Middle Ages, by Paul De La Croix. 

Popular Customs, by W. S. Walsh. 

Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism, by Thos. Inman. 

Old and New Testament History, by Rev. G. F. McLear, D. D. 

Ethnological Reports of the Smithsonian Institute. 

Viking Age, by Paul DuChaillu. 

Legendary and Mythological Art, by Mrs. Clare Erskine Clement. 

Symbolism in Christian Art, by F. E. Hulme. 

Symbolic Language of Ancient Art and Mythology, by R. P. 

Knight. 
Heraldry, by S. T. Aveling. 
The Koran, Translation of Geo. Sales. 
Har-Moad, by Rev. O. D. Miller, D. D. 
Smith's Bible Dictionary. 

Sacred and Legendary Art, by Mrs. Anna Jameson. 
Manual of Odd-Fellowship, (Edition 1868), by Rev. A. B. Grosh. 
Seven Great Monarchies, by Geo. Rawlinson, A. M. 
History of Ancient Egypt, same. 

Light of Asia, by Sir Edwin Arnold, annotated by Mrs. I. L. Hauser. 
Life of Christ, by Rev. C. Geike, D. D. 
Three Link Fraternity. 

Odd-Fellowship, by Theo. Ross, Grand Secy., S. G. L. 
Emblems, by L. H. Grindon. 
Encyclopedia Brittanica. 
Century Dictionary. 
Aryan Household, by W. E. Hearne. 
Nineveh and Babylon, by A. H. Layard. 
Egyptian Symbols, by Baron Fredk. Portal 
Symbolic Colors, same. 



PREFACE. 



Some five or six years ago I was called upon to address an anni- 
versary meeting of Odd Fellows, the subject assigned being "The 
Emblems of the Order." Much to my surprise, upon looking up the 
subject but very meagre materials could be found outside the para- 
phrastic platitudes based upon the ritual. Not a thing could be found 
of the character desired. Even that most excellent little work "Thought 
Links," by Bro. F. A. Le Huntte, now Grand High Priest of the Juris- 
diction of New York, an immense advance though it is in the literature 
of the Order, was not satisfactory. What was wanted was the raison d'etre, 
not only for their connection with the Order, but for being at all. 
Piqued at this lack, compelled, as most of our speakers are, to fall back 
upon the platitudes for the time, I determined to find the matter if it 
was anywhere in print. Books were bought and borrowed, and much 
time spent in public libraries gathering a few items here and there, 
and in reading a vast amount at times to obtain but a hint. The task 
was not an unpleasant one, leading, as it did, to some of the most inter- 
esting things imaginable. Like the toil of many a hunter who has 
tramped miles over hill and dale only to return with but a little tomtit in 
his bag, the labor could not be counted lost, for if the particular thing 
sought was not found, the pleasure of ranging through "strange fields 
and pastures new," replete with instruction, with broadening vistas, 
with different views of life, the widening, as one might say, of one's 
horizon, more than made up for the time and labor spent if not 
even the most trifling item for the purpose sought was discovered. So 
I kept studying and making notes for use under "Good and Welfare," 
not thinking of publishing till it was suggested by brother Odd Fellows 
who heard my papers read. 

It was not long after I began the study of the Symbolism of the Em- 
blems, that I found symbolism in other places in the work, and carried 
these along also. It must be understood that the work is practically a 
compilation; there being but little original matter in it, though much of 
it is in my own language. This was necessary in many cases where 
the needed items were drawn from several authorities, and the best 



xvi. PREFACE. 



thought taken from each. Where an idea has been taken from a single 
author, though the wording may have been changed, the endeavor has 
been to give credit by proper mention in the text. Where a writer has 
been directly quoted, the quotation is duly marked and the book and 
page as well as author's name given. 

In compiling this work, the various items were written independently 
as being most convenient for their original purpose of short talks under 
"Good and Welfare," and in preparing them for publication it was 
thought best to retain the same form, arranging them in the form of a 
cyclopedia, whereby each article indexes itself. To make this more 
complete, in case a title is transmutable or contains more than one 
important word, it appears in as many places as its transmutations 
or important words demand, and reference is given to the particular 
title under which the article will be found. 

I have no excuses to make. If there are any mistakes, it is from 
no lack of a constant endeavor to avoid them, and if there are inac- 
curacies of language, it is due to inexperience as a writer, but the irten- 
tion of every statement can always readily be seen and the idea grasped 
without difficulty, which is the end sought. 

Should the work as printed be one-seventh as interesting to the 
reader as it has been to the compiler, one of the great ends of publishing 
it will be fulfilled. And so I send it forth in the hope of its appreciation 
and its help to the students of the underlying ideas and principles of 
Odd-Fellowship. 

Wm. Henry Ford. 

Niagara Falls, N. Y., August, 1903. 



SYMBOLISM of ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 



"A." The character or symbol A is the initial in the alphabets of 
nearly all languages. In the Accadian, Greek, Etruscan, Pelasgian, 
Gallic, Samaritan, and Egyptian or Coptic its form closely resembles 
the English character. In Hebrew it is written ^, aleph, "ox." Origi- 
nally A signified with or together, but at present it represents one. Specifi- 
cally the one beginning a series. The Hebrew letter is said to typify 
the Trinity, because it is composed of two Vs, one on each side of a 
nexus. It is also the initial of the most holy name J") ^ j"] £$, AeHeJeH. 

Aaron* The first high-priest of the Jews, eldest son of Amram 
and Jochebed of the tribe of Levi, and brother to Moses and Miriam. 
When Moses was commissioned to lead the children of Israel from 
Egypt to the land of Canaan, Aaron was appointed to assist him, prin- 
cipally, it would appear, because of his being possessed to a high degree 
of a persuasive readiness of speech. Unlike his brother, Aaron lacked 
firmness of character, as was shown by his weakness in complying with 
the demands of the people — during Moses' absence on Mt. Sinai — 
to provide them with a visible symbolic image of a god. In obedience 
to instruction given by God to Moses, Aaron was appointed High-priest; 
his sons and descendants priests; and his tribe, that is, the tribe of 
Levi to which he belonged, was set aside forever as the sacerdotal caste. 
Aaron's imcumbency of the holy office of forty years was only termi- 
nated by his death on Mt. Hor at the age of 1 23 years. 

The priesthood established under the Mosaic dispensation was so 
markedly distinct from all others that it is known from the name of its 
first high-priest as the "Aaronic." The Magians, the Egyptians, the 
Greeks all had their priests, but none taught the full extent of their 
religion to all their people. On the contrary there appears to have 
been quite a difference between what was taught publicly and that 
taught in secret to the elect few. With the public it was mostly an 
appeal to the animal passions. It varied in form in the different coun- 
tries, but in all it was of the same general character. On the other hand 
there is much to support the contention that the religion of the one true 
God, as delivered to the Jews by Moses, was the esoteric religion of 
2 



18 ABRAHAM. 



Egypt and of her neighbors; the true religion handed down from the 
first by the Accadian priests of the plains of Shinar. Such a one as 
Melchizedek, King of Salem, appears to have been. He was different 
also from the household priest, the eldest of a family, who preserved the 
relics and led in the worship or adoration of the family's ancestor. This 
sort of priest exercised great civil powers as well as religious. He was, 
as far as his family (clan) was concerned, King as well as priest. 

Aaron's Breastplate. See Breastplate. 

Aaron's Budded Rod* See Budded Rod. 

Abraham (father of a great multitude), at first called Abram (high 
father) , was the son of Terah, who was of the eighth generation from 
Shem. Born at Ur of the Chaldees, he accompanied his father to 
Haran. His wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, were also with him. Their 
intention seems to have been to go into the land of Canaan. After 
Terah's death, Abram at the instance of the Divine Will, left his country 
and his kindred to go to a land which God would show him. With his 
wife and nephew Lot and all that he possessed he left Haran, crossed 
the Euphrates, and commenced his journey to the South and West. 
Reaching Shechem, now Niblous, situated between mounts Ebal and 
Gerizim, he found the country good, a natural pasture ground for 
flocks and herds. Here Abram halted. "This land," said the Lord, 
"I will give unto thy seed;" and at Shechem the patriarch built his first 
altar to the Lord in the "Land of Promise." 

Because of a great drouth and a grievous famine, he went down into 
Egypt where he remained some time. Returning, still accompanied 
by his nephew, he found that their interests clashed, and generously 
gave Lot the first choice of the land which they divided. Lot chose the 
south of the Jordan, while Abram set up his tent under the spreading 
oak of Mamre, near Hebron. While peacefully dwelling in this neigh- 
borhood he received the news that Chedorlaomer (supposed to have 
been an Elamitic king), had invaded lower Palestine, and brought sev- 
eral of the smaller states under tribute. Among these were the cities 
of the plain to which Lot had retired, and that Lot was taken captive 
with all his house and goods and cattle. Losing no time Abram armed 
his 318 trained servants, and reinforced by the chief of Mamre and his 
brothers, went in pursuit of the Elamites by night, and falling suddenly 
upon them, who were all unconscious of the coming danger, he " smote 




Munich. 



From the Painting by Rembrandt 
3. Abraham's Sacrifice. 



/ 



ABRAHAM. 19 



them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of 
Damascus." Thence with the recovered captives, amongst whom was 
Lot, he returned, and at the valley of Shaveh, near Hebron, was met by 
the King of Sodom, accompanied by a mysterious personage named 
Melchizedek, a King of Salem, and priest of the most high God, to 
whom Abram gave tithes of all he had taken in his expedition, and 
received his solemn blessing. Before parting, the King of Sodom 
pressed Abram to take a portion of the spoil as his reward. This he 
firmly declined for himself but accepted a portion for his allies, the 
chiefs Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner. He then returned to his home. 
Shortly after this a covenant was made between God and Abram (Gen. 
xv.), in which the patriarch was promised a son and heir. Abram was 
99 years of age when God appeared to him and promising him pos- 
terity, changed his name to Abraham. The name of his wife was also 
changed from Sarai to Sarah. At last the time had come for which 
Abraham, now upwards of ioo years of age, had waited. A son was 
born unto him and named Isaac (laughter). When Isaac was well 
grown, at the command of God, Abraham took him to a high mountain, 
where they erected an altar, and gathered wood for a burnt offering. 
Everything being prepared, Abraham seized Isaac and bound him upon 
the altar. As he stretched forth his hand to slay his son, the Angel of 
the Lord called unto him and stayed the knife saying, "Lay not thy 
hand upon the lad, neither do anything unto him; for now I know that 
thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son 
from me." And looking up, Abraham beheld a ram entangled in the 
thicket by its horns, and he took the ram and offered it up for a burnt 
offering instead of his son. In memory of this event Abraham named 
the place Jehovah-Jireh, i. e. Jehovah will provide, and again received 
the assurance of the divine blessing upon himself and his descendants, 
who should be "multiplied as the stars in heaven" and "as sand upon 
the seashore." This was the culminating point in Abraham's life. 
Implicit trust in the Most High, and unfaltering obedience to His will 
had never been more signally displayed, and his faith "was counted to 
him for righteousness." From this on Abraham's life was calm and 
peaceful. Abiding in the shade of the oak of Mamre, he lived out the 
remainder of his life in the quiet pursuits of a herdsman. On the death 
of his wife she was laid to rest in the Cave of the field of Machpelah, a 
spot now covered by the Mosque of Hebron, for which Abraham paid 
Ephron, the Hittite, 400 shekels of silver for a burial place forever. 



20 ABRAHAM. 



Abraham married again and by his second wife, Keturah, became the 
father of Zimran, Johsan, Madan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shua, the ances- 
tors of Arabian and Midianitish tribes. 

The Father of the Faithful, the Friend of God, had now reached 
the term of life allotted him. At "a good old age and full of years," 
being 175, he was gathered to his fathers, and by Isaac and Ishmael 
was laid by the side of his beloved Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah. 

Abraham was a type, not only of a great patriarch, but of faith in 
God, of generosity, and of a shepherd militant. "By faith Abraham 
when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive 
for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he 
went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange 
country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with 
him of the same promise; for he looked for a city which hath founda- 
tions, whose maker and builder is God. " Hebrews, xi, 8-10. His 
generosity was shown when he gave Lot his choice of the land, and again 
when returning from the defeat of Chedorlaomer he refused to accept 
any of the spoils for himself, but gave all to the kings and chiefs who 
accompanied him. As a shepherd militant, he exhibited his soldierly 
qualities in the rapidity with which he gathered his little band of ser- 
vants, in making allies, and in the celerity with which he threw his 
little force upon the invaders. 

"The more a religion advances from its origin, the more it material- 
izes itself; and from degradation to degradation it arrives at Fetishism. 
The adoration of the Negroes is the last expression of the dogmas of 
Ethiopia and Egypt. Already in the time of Moses, the Egyptian 
religion evinced the elements of decrepitude and dissolution. The 
symbol had become the God. Truth, forgotten by the people, was exiled 
from the sanctuaries; and very soon the priests themselves began to lose 
the significance of their sacred language. These observations apply 
equally to India and its corrupt Brahmans, to China and its shameful 
Bonzes, to those Israelites who sacrificed to the idols of foreigners, and 
to every form of worship." 

" This custom, fatal to humanity, explains the necessity of suc- 
cessive revelations. Judaism and Christianity are divine, by the 
isolated fact that the intervention of the Divinity was necessary, indispen- 
sable. How otherwise can the progress of mankind in spiritual religion 
be reconciled with the tendency of every people to materialize its wor- 
ship ? 



ADAMANT. 21 



' ' The antique religion of Iran is forgotten, its sacred symbols, the 
light, the sun, the planets, are deified. It is at this epoch when this 
revolution is accomplished, that Abram goes out of Chaldaea, and 
revivifies the Truth about to be annihilated." (Portal.) 

Abraham, Seed of* See Seed of Abraham. 

Abram* Heb. A high father. The original name given to the 
patriach, which was afterward changed by God to Abraham; which see. 

Accolade* The blow given with the flat of the sword upon the 
shoulder of a candidate for knighthood. This is the essential act of the 
entire ceremony. According to the particular order of knighthood into 
which the candidate is to be adopted various acts of preparation and 
consecration are required of him. Bathing, prayers, vigils, confession, 
communion, any or all are required, as the case might be. Some 
entirely religious, others directly the opposite. This in time of peace. 
In war, usually at the close of a battle, the ceremony was quite simple. 
The squire to be rewarded for his zeal in the interests of his king, was 
called to kneel before him, who giving him the accolade, commanded 

"Arise Sir ." In the early days of knighthood, the accolade was, 

as the true meaning of the word indicates, an embrace, it being derived 
from the Latin ad, "about," and collum, "neck," through the Italian 
accolare, and French accoler, to embrace about the neck. The accolade, 
that is the stroke of the sword, has acquired a symbolic import; being 
taken as emblematic of the blows received in battle. 

Adam* According to Rabbi Gustave Gottheil, "Adam very early 
in the reflective and speculative period of Judaism, became a symbolic 
figure of the species man." The Hebrew word 'Ad ham is the same as in 
the Chaldee, and has the same meanings, man and red. The equivalent 
word in the ancient Egyptian had the same dual significance. The 
Hebrew word apparently has reference to the ground from which he 
was formed, which is called adamah. Sayce says, that as in Hebrew the 
word has come to be the proper name for the first man, so too, in the old 
Babylonian legends, the "Adamites" were "the white race" of Semitic 
descent, who stood in marked contrast to "the black heads" or Ac- 
cadians of primitive Babylonia. (Anc. Mon. p. 31.) 

Adamant* The word which translates a Hebrew name for any 
stone of firm texture and extreme hardness, such as onyx or jasper. It 



22 ALLEGORY. 



is mistakenly rendered "diamond" in the authorized version of the Bible. 
Adamant is symbolical of boldness. The earliest notice of the word 
is in Homer who used it as a personal epithet; later it was applied to a 
very hard metal, such as was used in armor. Here it probably referred 
to steel. It was used in this sense by Hesiod and other writers who 
endowed it with supernatural powers of resistance. Plato used it for 
the name of some metal resembling gold. Theophrastus and Pliny ap- 
plied it to a gem, probably the diamond, though the latter intended 
corundum. In Ovid we find it as the name of the magnet. Still later 
writers use it for an anti-magnet. The word is not used to designate 
any particular substance, but is applied as a superlative to anything 
impenetrable or of surpassing hardness, principally in a rhetorial or 
poetic sense. 

Agate* Heb. 12 E^» shebo. The jewel of the tribe of Naphtali; 
occupying the middle of the third row on the high priest's breastplate. 
It is a variety of quartz, exceedingly hard and semi-transparent. Its 
colors are frequently so blended as to resemble mosses. Some have the 
colors arranged in delicate stripes or clouds. Is was a favorite stone for 
engraving in the olden time ; some very beautiful examples having been 
h anded down to us. It is probable that it took its name from Achates, 
the ancient name for the river Drills, in Sicily, on whose banks large 
quantities have been found. The agate is symbolical of strength and 
beauty, and was anciently supposed to make its wearer proof against 
serpent bites, and conferred on him the qualities that make a speaker. 
This superstition still exists in the mountains of the Tyrol. Is was also 
supposed to quench thirst if held in the mouth, and it soothed fevers. 
In the poem of Orpheus on Stones, it is said that "the most precious 
species of the agate is that of a lion-fawn color, interpersed with yellow, 
white, black, or green. This stone cures the poison of the scorpion, 
and enables woman to humanize and sweeten the life of man. The 
traveller possessing it returns to his home happy and with large gains. It 
also restores the sick to health; and he who holds it in his hand will 
never be conquered." (Portal). In old folk-lore, the agate is assigned 
to the month of June. Shakespeare's mention of the agate in Henry 
IV, i, 2, refers to "littleness" or "smallness." "I was never manned 
with an agate till now." See Breastplate. 

Allegory* A figurative discourse or representation, in which the 
words signify something beyond their literal meaning; a symbolical 



ALL-SEEING EYE. 23 



writing; a type; a fable. Every allegory must be accepted in a double 
sense — the one that is immediate or historic, which is understood from 
the words or actions directly; the other, that which it is intended to 
convey. The interpretation of an allegory is not of the words or actions 
themselves, but of the things signified by them. Almost the entire 
ritualistic work of the Order is allegorical; and given as it should be, in a 
dignified and careful manner, will impress not only the candidate, but 
the witnessing members with the underlying meaning and intention 
before the explanatory lectures are given by the principal officer. As an 
example of an allegorical expression, take the words of Christ, "It is 
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man 
to enter the kingdom of God." Here it is not an actual needle, nor its 
eye, that is spoken of, but a small wicket in the outer gate of the city, 
used for entrance or egress, after the great gate is closed for the night. 
This door, figuratively, the eye of the needle, is made low and narrow 
to allow of but one person at a time to pass through, and when necessary 
a camel, being unloaded, can be forced to worm its way through upon 
its belly. So is it with the proudly rich. They must grovel in humility 
and prayer, ere they can attain the promised kingdom. Allegories are 
often represented in painting and sculpture, wherein some definite 
meaniag is expressed symbolically. 

All- Seeing Eye* The* enveloped in a blaze oj light and glory, is one 
of the grandest and most comprehensive of symbols ever devised. The 
use of the eye as a symbol is probably as old as that of fire, and as ex- 
tensive. And it meant as much to the early inhabitants of the earth, 
who were groping about in the darkness of ignorance, seeking for the 
light that did not come till a short two thousand years ago, as it does to 
us today, being for them as for us, and the many generations that have 
intervened, the ideograph of the omnividence of God. From the warm 
and easy-going Southeast to the chill and vigorous Northwest, and all 
the nations that lie between, from the dawn of history to the present 
day, the eye has been used to symbolize the Ail-Powerful, the All-Know- 
ing, the One above and preceding all others. 

In the citadel of Argos there was long preserved an ancient statue 
of the Olympian Jupiter, the supreme deity of the heathen world, the 
most powerful of all their gods, the father and king of gods and men, 
and the governor of all things, which had three eyes to show the triple 
extent of his power and providence over heaven, earth, and hell. The 



24 ALL-SEEING EYE. 



third eye of this ancient statue was in the forehead. The Hindus have 
a god, Siva, or more anciently, Mahadeva, which also was possessed of 
the third eye, and the Scandinavian deity Thor was frequently rep- 
resented as having three. 

The ancient Egyptians wrote the name of their greatest, and as far 
as can be ascertained, their only universal god, Osiris, hieroglyphically 

with an open eye and a figure representing a throne, thus : ^ ^TTT^w J 

the idea symbolized being "the enthroned creator." Among the 
titles of this great deity are found "the eternal ruler; the lord of life; 
the creator of the world," and many others of like import; yet all of 
them attributes of the living God of the Christian, the Jew, and the 
Moslem. This idea of creation is also shown in the hieroglyph 

ara, "I make," <^^_^L. arj, "he makes." The eye 



* 



being used in all the various forms of the verb. 

The All-seeing Eye was evidently known to the Assyrians. Among 
other relics found by Mr. Layard in the ruins of Nineveh, was a seal- 
cylinder showing this symbol, winged, hovering over the sacred tree at 
which a priest and a king are worshipping. 

While it is doubtful that the Jews ever represented the Eye of God 
pictorially, many instances are found in the Bible of its use in symbolic 
illustration. For example — "The Eyes of the Lord are in every place, 
beholding the evil and the good." (Prov. xv. 3). "The Eyes of the 
Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong 
in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." (2 Chron. xvi. 9). 

This emblem, is not confined to Odd-Fellowship, as other fraterni- 
ties make quite as extensive use of it. However, there is no reason to 
suppose that Odd-Fellowship has not as much right to its use as any 
other society of the present day; there being no known esoteric or other 
connection between the old Egyptian mysteries and the fraternal organ- 
izations of our times. The Odd Fellow, indeed, goes a step beyond 
the old Egyptian and surrounds the Eye with a blaze oj light and glory, — 
he who first did it was certainly inspired, — thereby enhancing its sig- 
nificance by giving it a life and force more penetrating than the flat 
and deathlike outlines chiseled in cold stone or painted in glaring colors 
on the mausoleums of the Pharaohs. This blaze of light signifies the 



ALTAR. 25 

radiancy of God's goodness, which illumines our otherwise dark and 
dreary path through this world; warming our hearts toward Him and 
toward our brothers and toward all mankind. "Blessed is thy people 

that shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance." 

(Ps. lxxxix. 15). 

When this symbol is shown in colors, the eye should be blue, for 
blue is heaven's own color, and the symbol of eternal truth, immortality 
and fidelity. The lashes should be black, to signify disaster and death 
if the eye be closed against us. The brow should be of a ruddy brown, 
to indicate the strength and vigor of the Almighty, and somewhat arched 
to remind us of His covenant with Noah while the glory which surrounds 
the whole should have the colors of the flaming streamers of the morn, 
emblematic of the dawn of light, not only upon the world, but upon the 
souls of men. This All-Seeing Eye, with its blaze of glory, teaches 
us that we cannot escape God's sight; that His eye pierces every heart 
and discerns its innermost secrets. None of our thoughts or actions are 
beyond His view, yet if we so regulate our conduct, that we may not 
fear His righteous judgment, we may have no fear of the captious scru- 
tiny of ill-minded men. 

Altar, When man first began to worship God, he located that 
most ineffable Being somewhere in the visible heavens above him. 
How natural then, when he had discovered fire and the means of pro- 
ducing it and saw the smoke ascending to heaven, that he should con- 
ceive the idea that in and by that smoke he could communicate directly 
with his maker. The promptings of his religious nature soon caused 
him to select some particular spot, away from his usual paths, apart 
from his flocks and herds, beyond the confines of his fields and orchards, 
where he could offer up his supplications, uninterrupted and unob- 
served. Having fixed upon the spot, for convenience in marking it, as 
well as for keeping his fire in better shape, a rude mound of earth or 
stones was erected and as he became possessed of tools and proficient in 
their use, more regular and ornamental forms appeared. As man's 
feelings towards his Maker must be within the limitations of his own 
knowledge, surroundings, and desires, the idea that God would not give 
something for nothing, soon obtained. Hence arose the practice of 
offering up something of value, and as primitive man was pre-eminently a 
herdsman, this offering was of the best of his stock. It reached his God 
by means of fire through the smoke. The altars were then built for the 



26 



ALTAR. 



accommodation of all manner of victims, bullocks, sheep, goats, doves, 
and even human beings; sometimes, indeed, of the very children of the 
suppliant. Sometimes where the altar was originally built of turf, the 
bones and ashes were allowed to accumulate to an immense extent. 
Among other instances, is the one to Jupiter, at Olympia, which is said 
to have been twenty-two feet high. The altar of Apollo, at Delos, was 
made of the horns of deer supposed to have been slain by Diana; while 
at Miletus, there was an altar composed of the blood of victims sacri- 
ficed. The altar used at the festival in honor of Daedalus, on Mount 
Cithaeron, was of wood and was consumed along with the offering. 







Wmlmimi- : *-,nA$ ■■■< 



#0; 

P v V/ 4 . 



7. Altar of Burnt Offering. 

The most ancient altars of which any record has been preserved 
are those mentioned in the Bible. As sacrifice implies an altar, Cain 
and Abel must have used them, yet the first mentioned is the one Noah 
"builded unto Jehovah." (Gen. viii, 20). The patiarchs, Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, built altars in every place in which they sojourned. 

The most remarkable altar building mentioned in Genesis is the 
one erected by Abraham, upon which to sacrifice his son Isaac. It is 
evident that this altar was of something distinct from the wood by whose 
fire the sacrifice was to be burnt, for Abraham "built an altar and laid 
the wood in order." There is a notable difference between this sacrifice 
and those offered later on in the tabernacle, in that the victim (Isaac) 



ALTAR OF INCENSE. 27 

was bound with cords upon the altar, and then was to have been slain, 
whereas, the practice under Levitical laws was to keep the fire continually 
burning, and slay the victims before the altar. Both in the tabernacle 
and in the temple there were two altars required; one for burnt-offering, 
and one for incense. 

The Altar of Burnt-offering for the tabernacle was about eight and 
one-half feet square and three and one-half feet high, and was of boards 
of acacia- wood overlaid with brass. (Ex. xxvii, 4-5). So long as the 
tabernacle rested, it was probably filled with earth, which thus formed 
the upper side or surface, on which the sacrifices were burnt. Upon 
each corner was a horn of acacia-wood, overlaid with brass; to these 
the victims were fastened, and on them their blood was sprinkled at the 
consecration of the priests, and at the sacrifice of the sin-offering. From 
each side projected a horizontal ledge, to the outer edge of which was 
attached a perpendicular grating of brass, resting, like the altar, upon 
the ground, for the purpose of catching any portion of the sacrifice or 
the fuel that might fall. The ledge, on which the priests officiated, 
was approached by a slope of earth. 

The great brazen altar of burnt-offering in the temple was some 
thirty-five feet square, and seventeen and one-half feet high. Built, 
most likely, of stone, it was entirely covered with brass, and had ledges 
or steps about it to reach its top. 

See Horn. 

Altar of Incense* To distinguish it from the altar of burnt-offering, 
which was called the brazen altar, the altar of incense was called the 
Golden Altar. There were two of these altars. The first, that of the 
tabernacle, was made of acacia-wood overlaid with pure gold. It was 
square in plan, about twenty-one inches each way, and forty-two inches 
high. It had an ornamentation of a golden horn at each of its four 
corners, and was also fitted with rings for carrying staves. This altar 
stood in the Holy Place, the larger chamber of the tabernacle, "before 
the vail that is by the Ark of the Testimony." A fire was kept continu- 
ally alive upon this altar, which was fed with incense by the priests after 
a burnt sacrifice had been offered up to the Lord, as a symbol of the 
priestly intercession, accompanying and making efficacious the prayers 
of the people, as well as being the symbol of the prayer itself. "Let 
my prayer be set forth," says the Psalmist, "before thee as incense; and 
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." 



28 



ALTAR OF ODD-FELLOWSHIP. 



The permanent altar of incense in the temple was apparently about 
the same dimensions as that of the tabernacle, but made of cedar instead 
of acacia-wood. As it was not necessary to carry it about, it was not 
provided with the rings for the staves. It copied, however, the altar 
of the tabernacle, in the horns upon the four corners and the golden 
wreaths that were festooned about it. 

See Horn. 




8. Altar of Incense. 



Altar of Odd-Fellowship. A symbolic altar used in the ceremonies 
of the consecration of a lodge room. It is composed of seven stones of 
symbolic colors, each with the name of one of the virtues of the order 
engraved upon it. At the proper point in the ceremony, a fire is kindled 
upon the top. It is also, like its prototype, the altar of incense, pro- 
vided with horns upon its four corners. The stones in their different 
colors of white, pink, blue, black, gold, and purple, forcibly remind 
one of the great tower of Borsippa, the Birs-i-Nimrud, with its variously 
colored stages. Unlike the tower, which was dedicated to the seven 
planetary gods, the seven stones of the Odd Fellows' altar are dedicated 
to the virtues of purity, friendship, love, truth, faith, hope and charity. 
The great pagan tower is a wreck, and has been for centuries, for it was 
built of clay, bonded with straw and cemented with slimy asphalt. This 
altar, however, with its foundation in purity, its walls of the rocks of 
virtues scorned by the old pagans, its capstone of charity, God's own 
virtue, will last in the hearts of true Odd Fellows till time shall be no 
more. 



ALTAR OF SACRIFICE. 



29 



The fire symbolizes that burning zeal, with which the virtues rep- 
resented by the stones of the altar, are practiced; the horns, the strength, 
swiftness, and true manliness derived therefrom. The railing about 
the top, to prevent the accidental falling of the burning embers, typifies 
the thoughtful mind that allows its energies no chance to waste itself on 
useless endeavor. See Altar; Altar of Incense; Fire; the various 
Colors. 




9. Altar of Odd-Fellowship. 

Altar of Sacrifice* One of the emblems of the Encampment. It is 
a striking reminder of the pure and simple worship of Patriarchal times, 
when the head of the family, or the man himself when alone, was a priest, 
and for every good he received, acknowledged it in prayer and thanks- 
giving to God, and made it manifest by an offering burnt upon an altar. 
If the good came to him when at a distance from an altar, he proceeded 
at once to erect one of stones or turf, not allowing time to wear off his 
thankfulness, and ungrateful forgetfulness take its place. Odd Fellows 
should follow his example and upon the Altar of Faith, Hope, and 
Charity, sacrifice their time, comfort, and ease, to ameliorate the suffer- 
ings of humanity. Then indeed will the divine blessing and assistance 
be given their every enterprise, and happiness here and hereafter be 
their reward. 



30 ANCHOR. 



In ancient times, many sacrificial altars were erected of rough, 
unhewn stones in temples and places where haste or lack of proper im- 
plements were the compelling cause. Such rough altars are fre- 
quently found in the ruins of temples, whose original finish and beauty 
would be a credit to the present era. No one knows and it is doubtful 
whether it ever will be known just why this is. It is only speculation 
which says it was conservatism ; that the rough stone pile was the arche- 
type and others must follow copy. A similar sentiment obtains to this 
day. That is that the altar should at least be stone. Many Christians 
object to an altar because it was done away with when Christ was 
sacrificed for the whole race. A compromise is made by having a small 
block of stone let into the communion table. Thus it may be but a 
simple table but it has yet the element of the sacrificial altar; the stone. 

See Altar. 

Amethyst. Heb. DO /!"]&> achlemah. A stone in hardness 
next to the diamond. Engraved with the name of Gad, it was placed 
third in the third row of precious jewels, on the high-priest's breastplate. 
It is named as the twelfth foundation stone, by St. John, in his descrip- 
tion of that wondrously beautiful city of the New Jerusalem. (Rev. 
xxi, 20). Its color is of a deep violet. "The amethyst is a beautiful 
youth who was transformed into that lovely tinted stone, which is in 
reality nothing but rock crystal colored by manganese and iron. Bacchus 
in memory of his love for the youth gave to the stone the color of wine, 
and at the same time the power to preserve wine-drinkers from the natural 
results of over-indulgence. The belief that the power of the amethyst, 
like that of the crown of crocus, could defeat the consequences of too 
much alcohol, obtained for many years." The amethyst is assigned 
to February. It is frequently worn as the ornament of episcopal rings, 
and in ecclesiastical circles is considered to signify humility. With the 
layman, it signifies love and truth; passion and suffering. In Heraldic 
blazonry, amethyst was in the early days of the noble art used to desig- 
nate purple. 

Anchor* While not one of the officially named emblems of the 
Order, the anchor is assigned by common usage to the second of that 
great triad of celestial virtues, taught in the Encampment. Hope. It is 
peculiarly a Christian emblem, and was unknown as such to the 
ancients. In Ionic architecture there is an ornament upon the capitals 
of the columns called eggs and anchors, " which, in fact, is composed of 



ANGEL. 



31 



eggs and spear-heads, the symbols of female generative, and male de- 
structive power, or in the language of mythology, of Venus and Mars." 
(R. P. Knight, Anc. Art., p. no). As a Christian emblem, it sym- 
bolizes steadfastness, immovable hope, and untiring patience. The 
early Christians, looking about for suitable emblems, wherewith to 
decorate their subterranean tombs and places of worship, and being 
greatly imbued with the symbolism of the day, conceived "life" to be 
but a stormy voyage, and their joy great when anchored safely in the 
harbor of rest. And the anchor, from this and the fact that it was 
easily cut in stone, soon became a favorite symbol for them. It is, as 
well, the attribute of St. Clement, being the instrument of his martyrdom^ 




10. Antique Anchor. 
From an old coin in the British Museum. 

he being bound to one and cast into the sea. The cut is of an antique 
anchor, shown upon an old Etrurian coin now in the British museum. 
In figurative language, the anchor is used as significant of stability, 
security, or as something upon which dependence may be placed. 

AngeL By the word D^)"l/Q> malachim, "messengers," the 
Israelites understood a class of spiritual beings who were intermediary 
between God and man, and though exalted far above man, were in- 
finitely below God. Their office was to do His service in heaven and 
to bear His messages to man on earth. It was not till after the cap- 
tivity, that they conceived the idea of the creative ministry of angels, 



32 ANKLETS. 



who had power over earth, water, fire, and air; having, probably, 
become tainted with the Zoroastrianism of the Babylonians. From 
all we can glean from the Scriptures, the form of the angels was that of 
man. Wherever there was a direct meeting between an angel and man, 
or when the angel was manifest to the sight of man, he was so manlike 
in form that the man invariably mistook him for one of his own race, 
and always demanded a sign to prove his celestial character. Manoah 
and his wife, the parents of Samson, did not recognize the angelic 
character of the man of God, though "his countenance was like that 
of an angel of God, very terrible." Not until "the angel of the Lord 
ascended in the flame of the altar," did they fall "on their faces to the 
ground." "Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord." 
Judges, xii. 3-21. 

Angels in painting and sculpture appear almost invariably in the 
form of beautiful females. Nowhere in the Bible is there any warrant 
for this. While their appearance varied and at times was brilliant and 
dazzling (Matt, xxviii. 2-7; Rev. x. 1-2), at other times it was terrible, 
as in the man who appeared to Samson's mother and to the one of 
whom the Centurion Cornelius was afraid. It could have been no 
woman nor an ordinary man to have frightened a Roman soldier. 
Wherever any indication of the sex of the angel is given, it is invariably 
the masculine. Why the graphic representations so carefully delineate 
the female face and form can only be explained by the fact that the 
early artists were not capable of depicting a beautiful man, and our 
modern artists servilely follow tradition. The number of the appear- 
ances of the Angels of the Lord given in the Bible is too great to be given 
here. See Index and Concordance in any "Teacher's edition." 

Ankkts. Bands of precious metal were worn on the ankles of 
both sexes in the East. Like the Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding 
Brass they are emblematical of vanity. The Oriental mind, it is said, 
could not rest content with the knowledge in itself that it was possessed 
of property, but must let it be known of all men. Hence the more 
jewelry that could be worn the more important they imagined them- 
selves to be. The same feeling is rampant in this more enlightened and 
civilized day and colder blood of the west (sic.) 

Another explanation and one that doubtless bore quite an influence 
on the custom of wearing so much jewelry, in the opinion of the writer, 
is that in these countries no locks were known, nor safety deposit vaults, 



ARK, NOAH'S. 33 



and any stranger might enter the houses or tents in the absence of the 
proprietors and make free with what might be found. The only safe 
place for such valuable material was on the person. This would 
account for the heavy strings of coins worn as necklaces and bracelets 
and anklets. 

Archetype. The original from which any copy or resemblance is 
made; an exemplar; a model. In symbolism, the archetype is the 
thing whence the symbolic idea is derived. 

Ark, Moses\ This little basket-like affair floating on the waters 
of the Nile bearing the child Moses is frequently used as a symbol of 
death, or, as the child was rescued, it sometimes receives the same 
symbolic significance as is given to Noah's Ark, that is, regeneration. 

It is evident that Jochebed, his mother, after exhausting all other 
means of concealing the child, disposed of him in the manner described 
in Exodus, ii. 2, in the hope of still saving him, by thus hiding him by 
day, while being able to succor him by night. The part played by 
Miriam, his sister, gave evidence of a quickness of understanding at an 
early age that showed itself wherever she is mentioned in the later 
history of the Exodus. The little ark or boat was in no wise remarkable, 
in being made of rushes. It was a common construction in the East 
in the olden time, and is still to be seen on many of the rivers of Asiatic 
Turkey. Any picture of the water front of the city of Bagdad, on the 
Tigris, will show numbers of circular basket-built boats, the water- 
proofing of which consists of a heavy coating of bitumen. Some of 
these boats are hardly large enough for a man to crouch in, yet they are 
in constant and usually profitable use. In the Rev. J. P. Peter's Nippur, 
vol. i, p. 190, is a fine half-tone reproduction of a photograph of this 
view taken in 1889, which shows a score of these circular arks, as also 
a number of clumsy barges built of " crooked tamarisk and mulberry 
branches covered with mats and wattled twigs, the whole thickly 
besmeared with bitumen like Noah's Ark." (Ibid, p. 161). 

Ark t Noah's* While not directly an emblem of Odd Fellowship, 
yet indirectly, through its association with the rainbow (see), it is of 
much interest. In modern church symbolism it is considered as the 
emblem of regeneration, whereby the world was repopulated. In the 
catacombs of Rome, the only place in which the early Christians could 
bury their dead and worship in safety, we find many representations of 



34 



ARK OF THE COVENANT. 



"the ark floating upon the stormy waters of the deluge, typifying the 
Church, riding in safety amidst the strife and turmoil of the world." It 
is often found on gems, lamps, and other objects, and it may have a 
further significance, as it appears "to promise future protection and 
deliverance to the Church, by a reminder of the past mercies of God, to 
His faithful followers, in the midst of a world of abounding wickedness.' ' 
(Hulme. Syrn. in Ch. Art.) 




ii. Landing of Noah's Ark. 

Similarly, it fitly symbolizes the Order of Odd Fellows, and yet 
more fitly, if possible, it symbolizes the ledge, wherein are gathered so 
many diverse characters; some friendly by nature, many antagonistic; 
some quiet and unobtrusive, many boisterous and forward; some weak, 
many strong; some bright and voluble, others grave and reticent. Yet 
withal, like unto the ark, wherein all its heterogenous collection, bound 
as it was by mutual necessities, lived happily, or at least, peaceably, 
together, the lodge, through its ' 'gentle influence, controls the elements 
of discord, stills the storm, and soothes the spirit of passion," the while 
carrying its membership along in safety, toward that mountain of rest and 
happiness, where there is but one law, and that, under the Fatherhood 
of God, the law of "Universal Brotherhood." 

Ark of the Covenant* Ark of the Revelation, or Ark of the Testi- 
mony. According to the biblical narrative in Ex. xxv. 10-22; xxxvii. 



ARK OF THE COVENANT. 35 

i-io, this was an oblong chest of acacia (shittim) wood, about four 
feet five inches long; two feet eight inches in width and in height. It 
was overlaid, within and without, with pure gold, and was furnished 
with two rings upon each side, near the corners, through which staves 
of the same wood were passed, similarly ; plated with gold, and by 
which it was carried by the Kohathites. These staves, when once in 
place, were never removed, and when the ark was in the Holy of Holies, 
they projected through the veil which intervened between that most 
sacred chamber and the Holy Place, as the larger room of the taber- 
nacle was termed. The ark, when transported, was enveloped in the 
"veil," in the curtain of badgers' skins, and in a blue cloth over alii 
and was, therefore, never seen by laymen. (Num. iv. 5-20). About 
the top ran a wreath of flowers made of pure gold, and upon it was the 
Kepporeth, or Mercy-Seat. This was made entirely of pure gold, not 
wood overlaid with that metal. At either end of the Mercy-Seat rose 
two golden cherubim, with outspread wings, and eyes bent downward. 
See Cherubim. 

It was through this ark that the notion of the constant presence of 
the God of the covenant with the people of Israel, found symbolical 
expression. The religion of the Old Testament, conceiving God as 
solely spiritual, could not think to secure His presence by the use of 
images, hence the idea of communication between God and man took 
the form of a tryst, or meeting. The Jews, in their wanderings, could 
not realize this Divine Presence, without some definite object to localize, 
as it were, the place of the meeting, and what object could be more 
fitting than this chest, which contained the autograph of the Almighty, 
the tables of stone, inscribed with the ten commandments, which formed 
the basis of the covenant. The exact spot of the meeting between God 
and man (Ex. xxv. 22; Lev. xvi 2) was conceived to be the space 
between the cherubim above the Kepporeth. 

It is said that at times the mystical voice of God was heard from 

between the cherubim upon the Ark of the Covenant. This was called 

/ 1 p ("I 2> bath-kol, the daughter of the voice. The Midrashim and 

the Gemara affirm that the bath-kol was the voice heard by Abraham, 

Moses, David and others. 

There was nothing contained in the ark but the two tables of stone. 
(1 Kings, viii. 9). The idea that the pot of manna and Aaron's rod 
were stored in the ark, rests entirely on Heb. ix. 4, and rabinical tra- 
dition, and is unsupported by Old Testament evidence. Ex. xvi. 33, 



36 



ARK OF THE COVENANT. 



and Num. xvii. 10, states that the rod and the manna were laid up before 
the testimony. This is quite different from "in it." In Num. xviii. 
7, the expression "laid up before" is also used in regard to the twelve 
rods, symbolizing the twelve tribes. See Rod, Budded Rod. 

That the ark, as an emblem of the Divine Presence, was not orig- 
inal with Moses, is fully proven by researches in Egypt. This, however, 
does not detract in the least from its sacred character, any more than 
that the sanctity of a modern church edifice is affected by the fact that 
similar structures were used by the ancient pagans. Sir Gardiner 




12. The Ark of the Covenant. 



Wilkinson, in writing of the Egyptian shrines says — "These shrines 
were of two kinds. One was an Ark or sacred boat, which may be 
called the great shrine ; the other, a sort of canopy. They were attended 
by the chief priest or prophet clad in the leopard-skin; they were borne 
on the shoulders of several persons by means of staffs, sometimes passing 
through metal rings at the side; and being taken into the temple, were 
placed on a table or stand prepared for the purpose. The same mode 
of carrying the ark was adopted by the Jews; and the gods of Babylon, 
as well as of Egypt, were borne and 'set in their place' in a similar 
manner. Apuleius (Metamorphosis, xi) describes the sacred boat, 



ARROWS, THREE. 



and the high-priest holding in his hand a lighted torch, an egg, and 
sulphur, after which the scribe read from a papyrus certain prayers in 
presence of the assembled pastiphori, or members of the sacred college. 
Some of the sacred boats, or arks, contained the emblems of life and 
stability, which when the veil was drawn aside, were partly seen; and 
others contained the sacred beetle of the sun, overshadowed by the 
wings of two figures of the goddess, Thmei, or Truth, which call to mind 
the cherubim of the Jews. The god Horus, the origin of the Greek 
Charon, is the steersman par excellence, of the' sacred boats, as Vishnu is 
of the Indian ark." 

It is very apparent how the ark itself became "the emblem of the 
Presence of the Most High God" and how appropriately it has been 
adopted as the emblem of the highest degree of Odd-Fellowship. 

Arrows, Three. In all ages the arrow appears to have been pre- 
eminently the emblem of war. Up to the time of the invention of 
gunpowder, it was the most effective missile in use. The Greeks placed 
it in the hands of their statues of Apollo, the sun god, as a symbol of 
the sun's rays and their destructive action in dispelling the power of the 
night god, Python. In Hindu temples, dedicated to the incarnation, 
Vishnu is represented as a perfectly beautiful young man holding a bow 
and arrows. The American Indians declared war by sending to their 
enemies a sharpened arrow, smeared with blood; or, sometimes, three 
arrows tied with a snake skin. 

The Egyptians had a goddess who was worshipped, particularly 
in Upper Egypt, as the Queen of Heaven. Her name, Sati, signifying 



"Sunbeam," was written • V 



N 



The arrow, being of necessity made perfectly straight, came to 
signify uprightness, thence truthfulness. The sharp point, the some- 
times piercing effect of that virtue. Its flight from the bow, the direct 
and unswerving character of an upright man. Well may the "Three 
Arrows" stand as a symbol of one of Odd-Fellowship's greatest aims; 
the extermination of vice; representing as they do, that Friendship that 
prompts the contest — that gentle influence of Love — and the Truth 
which crowns the effort. 

From the ancient custom of using arrows for transmitting messages, 
was taken the idea of using them for one of the emblems of the old 



38 



ARROWS, THREE. 



second, or Covenant Degree, where they refer to the method adopted 
by Jonathan to apprise David of Approaching danger. 

Under the present ritual, the three arrows are a component of the 
''Bow, Arrows, and Quiver," of the Degree of Brotherly Love. 

In displaying the arrows out of their quiver, as when used in the 
old Second Degree, the rules of Heraldry require that they should be 
shown with their points downward. A bundle of arrows is called a sheaf, 
and when but three are shown, one must be vertical, the others diag- 
onally across it. See the sheaf displayed upon the shield that forms 
the central portion of the seal of the Sovereign Grand Lodge. 




14. Sheaf of Arrows. 



In ecclesiastical art, a flame-tipped arrow, piercing the breast of a 
saint, symbolizes the fervor of divine love, which possesses the soul. As 
with other emblems, the arrow has an adverse symbolism. The de- 
stroying Angel of 2, Sam, xxiv. 16, is represented with three arrows in 
his hand, signifying war, pestilence, or famine. Arrows are frequently 
spoken of in the Bible. In Rev. xxv. 18, the arrow is significant of the 
sharp and wicken tongue of a false witness. Mrs. Jameson, in Sac. 
and Leg. Art. II, 20, says that "Arrows have been from all antiquity 
the emblems of pestilence; Apollo was the deity who inflicted plagues, 
therefore was invoked with prayer, and sacrificed against." 

The Rev. S. Baring-Gould in commenting on the story of William 
Tell, remarks; — "though it is possible that Gessler or Harald may be 



AUREOLE 39 



the power of evil and darkness, and the bold archer the storm-cloud 
with his arrow of lightning and his iris bow, bent against the sun, which 
is resting like a coin or a golden apple on the edge of the horizon, yet 
we have no guarantee that such an interpretation is not an overstrain- 
ing of a theory I must protest against the manner in 

which our German friends fasten rapaciously upon every atom of history, 
sacred and profane, and demonstrate all heroes to represent the sun, all 
villains to be the demons of night or winter; all sticks and spears and 
arrows to be the lightning, all cows and sheep and dragons and swans 
to be the clouds." (Cur. Myths of the Mid. Ages, 126). 
See Quiver; Seal oj the Sovereign Grand Lodge. 

Ass* Sometimes used in the work when special occasion requires 
elaboration. It is ordinarily emblematic of stupidity and ignorance 
and sometimes of obstinence. Again it is significant of humility. Note 
the "royal" entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the Sunday next before 
His crucifixion. At times the ass becomes the symbol of servitude or 
labor, as when, heavily burdened, it is used as the badge or cognizance 
of the tribe of Issachar. 

See Samaritan. 

Attribute* In symbolism an attribute is an object of symbolic 
character, relating to and accompanying the representation of some 
person or other object. For instance, the anchor is the attribute of St. 
Clement, and is invariably present in representations of that saint. It 
is not the symbol of the man, but symbolizes his martyrdom, as it was 
the instrument by which he found death, being bound to one and cast 
into the sea. In the same way the Three Links is an attribute of an 
Odd Fellow, yet does not symbolize the man, but his principles. In the 
distinction or underlying notion, it is difficult to differenciate the badge 
and the symbolic attribute; particularly when the badge has a sym- 
bolic character. The collar and jewel of an officer are his attributes. 

Attreok* A conventional symbol of sanctity, confined almost ex- 
clusively to ecclesiastical and symbolic art, to glorify, or make more 
prominent, the principal figure or object represented. When shown 
as sharply defined rays it is termed. a nimbus. As often seen on ancient 
coins, radiating from the head of a king or emperor, in the foim of 
small obelisks, they are emblems of light, symbolizing the primary and 
essential emanations of deity, and indicative of the consecration, or 



40 AXE. 

deification of the person whose portrait they adorn. From this use were 
derived the spiked antique crowns worn by ancient rulers, and which, 
later, modified into many ornamental shapes, serve to adorn the crowns 
of our modern rulers, and so-called nobles. When these rays become 
so broadened out that their individuality is lost, and the blaze becomes 
a glory of light, the term aureole is used. While the aureole is part and 
parcel of that most beautiful emblem of the Initiatory, the All-seeing 
Eye, surrounded by a blaze of light and glory, yet in the decorative use 
of the various emblems of the Order, it is a very appropriate adjunct. 

The idea of the radiance of the Divine Glory, is not infrequently sug- 
gested in the Bible. A few instances are, the burning (flaming ?) bush 
of Ex. iii. 2-5; the pillar of fire which hung over the Ark of the Cove- 
nant during the night, Ex. xiii. 21; the "glory of the Lord was like 
devouring fire in the eyes of the children of Israel " at Mt. Sinai, Ex. 
xxiv. 16; and, particularly, that light which shone from the Mercy- 
Seat upon the Ark between the Cherubim, which was last seen in the 
person of our Lord, as he stood upon the mountain, in view of Peter, 
James, and John, "and was transfigured before them; and His face did 
shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light." 

In ecclesiastical usage, the aureole is, strictly speaking, the glory 
that surrounds the whole person or object, (the nimbus is confined 
to the head), and is the attribute only of the persons of the Godhead. 
The Virgin Mary, however, is invested with it, when she holds the 
infant Jesus in her arms, in pictures of the assumption, and as the inter- 
cessor for humanity at the last judgment, and when represented as the 
woman of the Apocalypse. In paintings the color of the aureole is 
golden or that which represents light. 

See Nimbus; Crown; Ark of the Covenant. 

Axe* This was probably the first implement of value made by 
man. And crude, indeed, was our ancestors bit of stone, with its handle 
lashed to it with green sinews, yet it could be used to almost as great 
an effect as the beautiful and glittering axe of today. As a weapon of 
offense or defense ; as a missile to be thrown at game ; as a leveler of 
forests; or as a mechanic's tool, that same bit of stone was the equal of 
our steel axe in all but the fineness of its edge, which edge is by no means 
the only qualification required in an axe. In all ages and countries, it is 
the axe that makes way for the progress of civilization, and room for the 
ever increasing population of the earth. It levels the trees of the forest, 



AXE. 41 

and shapes them into ships by which new countries may be reached. It 
cuts a broad swath through the wilderness, to form runways for the 
steam-breathing, smoke-snorting hound of a locomotive, so that the 
interchange of goods, bodies, and thought, may be more rapidly and 
conveniently made. Truly, the axe is well chosen as the symbol of 
progress, and as the roads are opened, and new fields brought into 
cultivation for human needs by its use, so does it represent the Divine 
Truth that cuts its way through the forests of prejudice and thickets of 
selfishness, leaving happiness and heartsease in its wake. It further 
keeps us in mind, that we are the pioneers in the pathway of a brother- 
hood that has for its aim the union of all tongues, creeds and conditions 
of men, in one grand fraternity, under a common Father, in which 
mutual interests will incite mutual help, smooth the rough places, and 
provide for the weak and distressed. 




15. The Axe. 

Crossed axes form the jewel and are the attributes of the warden of 
the subordinate lodge. In Christian art, the axe is a symbol of mar- 
tyrdom, and the attributes of certain saints, and signify the manner of 
their deaths. It is also seen upon the coats of arms of a few families of 
the British landed gentry. 




16. Antique Axe. 

From a bas-relief of Esus, the God of Nature of the Gauls. Celtic monument discovered 

under the choir of Notre Dame , and preserved in the Cluney museum. 

(La Croix, Sci. and Lit. in Mid. Ages.) 

See Battle Axe. 

"B." The second letter of the English alphabet has descended 
to us from the old Phoenician, by way of the Greek and Latin. The 
Hebrew 2> beth, "house," has the same Phonetic value. Its form 
suggests a shelter. As a numeral it stands for 2. Combined with the 



42 BADGE. 

first letter of the alphabet it forms the root word 2 & > a b, father, master, 
one in authority. In this sense it is found in Abraham, father of a mul- 
titude; in Abner, father of light; in Abiezer, father of help; and many 
others. It is found also in R'abbi, R'abboni, master, my master. It 
has the Cabbalistic distinction of being the first letter of the second 
volume of the law. The name of deity connected with this symbol is 
1 1 11 3 > Bakour. 



\Z.* A mark of distinction, a sign, or token, by which a person 
is distinguished in a particular employment or place, or designating his 
relation to other persons or to a particular occupation. It is synony- 
mous with cognizance in heraldry. The family, followers, and retainers 
of the Dukes of York wear a red rose as a badge ; those of the Dukes of 
Lancaster wear a white rose; while lions, bears, crescents and full moons, 
birds, beasts, and innumeral other objects are worn by others, showing 
their connection with some particular family. Even the American In- 
dians have their badges; called by them, however, totems. Each tribe 
and family was known by its totem, which, usually, was the represen- 
tation of some animal, such as the bear, the wolf, the turtle, the deer, 
and so on. 

"The badge is said to have been introduced by Henry II, and 
many royal and other persons wore badges, and used them for 
the decoration of their military equipments, household furniture, 
and for every variety of decorative purpose. Like arms, badges are 
hereditary, and in the early days of heraldry it was considered a great 
punishment to be deprived of one's badge. Many of the signs of our 
old inns are the badges of ancient families, and passing through the 
streets of London we see many of these referring to the past, such as the 
badge of Richard II, the white hart; the boar's head of Richard III, 
and the greyhound of the Tudors. 

In the Second Part of "Henry VI," (Act V, Scene i), Shakespeare, 
with characteristic discrimination, has adverted to the use of badges. 
He makes Clifford conclude his brief threatening address to Warwick 
with the words, 

"Might I but know thee by thy household badge!" 
to which appeal Warwick replies, 

"Now, by my father's badge, old Neville's crest, 
The rampant bear chained to the ragged staff." 

• -(S. T. Aveling, Her. Anc. and Mod.) 



BEE. 43 

The "Three-Links" (see) is the badge of an Odd Fellow, and is 
indicative of his connection with the Order. 

Balm, or balsam, is an aromatic plant, or the odoriferous sap which 
is found in such plants. It is now impossible to identify the balm of the 
Bible with any certainty. Most likely it is the gum of the Balsamo- 
dendron opobalsamum, which is allied to the balm of Gilead. The 
balm of Gilead trees abounded in the country east of the Jordan. These 
trees resemble fig-trees somewhat, though growing 12 to 15 feet high, 
only, with scanty foliage and straggling limbs. The exuded sap is 
yellowish in color, and pelucid. Its odor has an agreeable resinous, 
balsamic fragrance. It is sticky and tenacious, being readily drawn 
into long threads. With other gums and spices it was frequently used 
in incense, and was supposed to have great healing powers. Hence 
the symbolic use of the word, as indicating something that heals, a suffi- 
cient remedy. See Jer. viii. 22. 

"Sleep that knits up the ravel'd sleave of care, 
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course." 

Shakespeare, Macbeth, II, 2 

Raton* The short staff or truncheon carried by a marshal as a 
symbol of his authority, corresponding to the sword of the commissioned 
officers of the army and navy. 

See Rod. 

Battle- Axe. An unfortunate and ignorant influence appears to 
be rampant in the design and character of the paraphernalia of the 
Order. The symbol of the axe is intended to represent the extreme 
advance guard of civilization, the pioneer, as it were, yet it is in but 
very few instances made in the form of that peaceful instrument with 
which forests are leveled, roads opened, and homes set up, where love 
and happiness may develop. Most of the engravings show it correctly, 
but almost invariably, the axe on the wand of the Warden is a battle-axe 
of the fiercest type; a symbol of war and bloody strife. This is not as it 
should be. Everything in the paraphernalia, regalia, etc., should be 
absolutely correct symbolically, and historically as well, in its smallest 
details, or it will misrepresent the part it is intended to illustrate. 

See Axe. 

Bee* Alone, the bee is considered as the symbol of busy fore- 
thought. It was used as a symbol of Venus, the Greek goddess of 



44 



BEEHIVE. 



Love, though as far as can be ascertained, it presents no function or 
relevance, save that the name melitta, sl bee, sounded very like unto 
Mylitta, another name for Venus. 

"An old legend, of non-ecclesiastical origin, asserts that bees 
derive their origin from Paradise, and are especially blessed by the 
Almighty; therefore mass ought not to be performed without the wax 
(candles) derived from these favored creatures." (W. S. Walsh, Pop. 
Cus.) 

"In England it is considered unlucky to buy or sell bees; they 
must be given, and the donee in return makes a gift of corn, or other 
equivalent. Stolen bees will not thrive, but pine away and die by 
degrees. It is even unlucky for a swarm of bees to settle on strange 
premises, unless they are subsequently claimed by the owner. When 
bees die, or even when they remove or go away from their hives, there 
will be a death in the owner's family." (Ibid). 

Beehive* An emblem of the Rebekahs, which formerly belonged 
to the old First or White Degree. As a symbol it represents associated 




1 7- 



The Beehive. 



industry, system, and unity in working for a common purpose; of busy 
forethought in making ample preparation for the future; of obedience, 
because of all the lower forms of life, the bee alone, after the ant, has a 
supreme ruler. With its queen, its workers, and its drones it is an ex- 



BEEHIVE. 45 



cellent figure for a Lodge of Rebekahs with its presiding officer, its 
working sisters, and its brothers who should never be more than drones 
in their relations to the sisters in the Lodge. 

In ecclesiastical teachings, the beehive is sometimes used as the 
symbol of eloquence. This is founded upon its eloquent instruction as 
above. It might thus be termed the symbol of a symbol. 

The teaching of these virtues is not confined, however, to the 
Rebekah Degree alone. The observant Odd Fellow will fully appre- 
ciate the fact, that all through the work, from the Initiation to the 
Degree of Truth, through the Encampment, in the Cantons, and in the 
Grand Bodies, the idea is ever present "to be doing." 

The use of the bee as a symbol is very ancient. The Egyptians 



H£ 



used the figure of a bee as a hieroglyph for king. 7 XTf^ They recog- 
nized that all bees labored for and obeyed what was supposed to be a 
king, though in fact it was a queen, a female. This mistake may possi- 
bly have given rise to the term "King Bee" as applied to some one or 
thing superior to others. 

In the ancient mysteries there seems to have been a much deeper 
meaning attached to the beehive; it being used as the type of the ark, 
probably because the hive, like the ark, holds so much life in so small 
a space. And as the ark was the symbol of regeneration, whereby the 
world was repopulated, so the hive, when a new queen appears, pours 
forth its living stream to form a new family. For this reason, says 
Faber, "both the diluvian priestesses and the regenerated souls were 
called bees ; hence bees were feigned to be produced from the carcass of 
a cow, which also symbolized the ark." (Orig. of Pag. Idol. II, 133). 
Note the parallel of this in the story of Samson and the lion. "Samson 
went down, and his father and mother, to Timnath, and came to the 
vineyards of Timnath; and, behold, a young lion roared against him. 
And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as 
he would a kid, and he had nothing in his hand. And after a time he 
returned, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, 
there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion. And he 
took thereof in his hands, and went on, eating. And Samson made a 
feast, and said unto his companions, I will put forth a riddle unto you. 
And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. And 
he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong 



46 BELLS. 

came forth sweetness." (Judges, xiv. 5-14). "It must not be imagined 
that the carcass of the lion was corrupt and putrid. It is well known 
that in that country, at certain seasons of the year, the heat will in the 
course of twenty-four hours completely desiccate the flesh of dead 
animals, and that without their undergoing decomposition, their bodies 
remain, like mummies, long unaltered, and entirely free from offense." 
(Smith). 

Beersheba* The well of the oath. This is the name of one of the 
old places which marked the southern extremity of Palestine. Accord- 
ing to all accounts, the wells were dug by Abraham or Isaac, with a 
little leaning toward the former. Genesis xxi. 25-32, it is said that 
Abraham digged a well and covenanted with Abimelech as a witness to 
the digging. In Genesis xxvi. 18, it is said that Isaac "digged again 
the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his 
father." And the first was called Esek, contention', and the second 
was called Sitnah, hatred; and the third Rehoboth, room. Yet 
again in verse 32, it appears that Isaac's servants digged another 
well which is called Beersheba to this day. Bir es-Seba. Over this 
well Isaac covenanted with Abimelech as did his father before him. 
Hence at times Beersheba has been taken as a symbol of a covenant or 
oath. The name is frequently used figuratively in expressing the 
extreme limits of a journey or a country, as in the oft-quoted phrase, 
"from Dan even unto Beersheba." (Judges xx. 1.) Here Dan repre- 
sents the extreme northern, while Beersheba represents the extreme 
southern boundary of Palestine. 

Bells* In the authorized version of the Bible, the word bell stands 
for two different Hebrew words. The one in Zech. xvi. 20, is related 
to the Hebrew word for cymbal. In the Septuagint, this word is trans- 
lated by a word meaning a bridle. Probably intended to indicate the 
cup-like pieces of metal upon a bridle, which we have ample evidence 
was as customary in the Orient in the olden times as in the present. They 
were used to give a tinkling sound. The other word, mentioned in 
Exo., xxviii. ^$ 7 indicates the sort of bell we recognize as a sleigh-bell. 
That is a hollow sphere enclosing a loose ball. Such have been found 
in the ruins of Nineveh and other ancient eastern cities. 

Among the pagan nations of the Orient, when the phallic religions 
were rampant, the gods were endowed with an androgynous nature, 
more particularly the creative and greatest gods. Women were not 



BELLS. 47 

admitted to the higher priesthood, though many held the same relation 
to that state as many do now in the Roman Catholic Church. Hence, 
to properly exhibit the androgynous character, the male priests assumed 
the garments of women, if indeed their manhood itself was not destroyed. 
In assuming this dress, they assumed it in its entirety, and particularly 
the dress of a virgin. In addition to the garments and ornaments of 
other women, the virgin wore a short chain or cord fastened at the 
knees or just above, a sort of hopple, restricting the length of stride in 
walking or running, to prevent accident to their virginity. Small bells 
or tinkling ornaments were fixed upon this hopple, so that as the wearer 
went about, their jingling was a sort of advertisement that the lady 
who wore them was in the market. After marriage, the hopple, being 
of no further use, was dispensed with. Such hopples with their tinkling 
attachments, being a universal priestly attribute, were undoubtedly the 
origin of the bells upon the robe of the ephod. In this, as in other 
things, there is ample evidence that Moses had not entirely escaped the 
fashions of his day, nor the influence of his education, and neither him- 
self nor his people could have accepted a high-priest who did not, to 
some extent, conform to the fashion of such as they had been familiar 
with. It will be noted that Moses did, however, free them from their 
offensive phallic character. 

"Upon the Robe of the Ephod," that is upon the high-priest's 
robe, "upon the hem (skirt) of it, thou shall make pomegranates of 
blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and 
bells of gold, between them round about, a golden bell and a pome- 
granate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe 

round about and his sound shall be heard when he 

goeth in unto the holy place and when he cometh out, that he die not." 

According to Josephus, the pomegranates were symbolic of light- 
ning, and the bells of thunder, and were intended to intimate to the 
people outside, by the sound that he made as he walked, the particular 
moment that the high-priest entered the Holy of Holies. 

Durandus, in his "Rationale Divinorum Ofnciorum," says: "Bells 
do signify preachers, who ought, after the likeness of a bell, to exhort the 
faithful; the which was typified in that the Lord commanded Moses 
to make a vestment for the high-priest, having seventy-two bells to 
sound when the high-priest entered the Holy of Holies. Also the cavity 
of the bell denoteth the mouth of the preacher, according to the saying 
of the apostle, 'I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.' 



48 BELLS. 

The hardness of the metal signifieth fortitude in the mind of the preacher; 
whence saith the Lord; 'Behold, I have made thy face strong against 
their faces.' The clapper or iron, which, by striking on either side, 
maketh the sound, doth denote the tongue of the preacher, the which, 
with the adornment of learning, doth cause both testaments to sound." 

Other nations, besides the Jews, apparently made use of bells in 
their sacerdotal ceremonies. The chief priests of the Egyptians, as 
well as the high-priest of Israel had them hung, as sacred emblems, 
to their garments, and the Brahmans, to this day, continue to ring a 
small bell at certain intervals in their prayers, and other acts of devo- 
tion; which custom also obtains in the Roman Catholic Church at the 
elevation of the Host. Doubtless, this is a development of the sound 
of the bells upon the high-priest's garment, though it was, and is, in 
many instances now, of much practical use; for in many churches it is 
impossible for more than a very few of the congregation to see the 
act and respond at the proper time. 

At the death of their kings, the Lacedaemonians, beat upon a gong 
or brass vessel, and we still retain the custom of tolling a bell on such 
occasions, though the reason of it is not generally known. Lucian 
says, "There is also a tradition in Northern Europe, that the Trolls and 
Fairies were driven from those countries by the church-bells." (Philo- 
patris, 15). 

For this "reason bells were often marked with the fylfot, or cross of 
Thorr, especially where the Norse settled, 'as in Lincolnshire and 
Yorkshire. This cross was used because it was supposed to resemble 
Thorr's hammer, and Thorr is the Thunderer." 




35. Fylfot or Swastika. 

The Assyrians used bells of bronze with tongues of iron, which 
were made of a mixture of copper similar to that used today. They 
were all small, however, none having been found larger than three 
inches in height, by two inches in diameter. It cannot be certainly 
said, whether these bells were used for household signaling purposes. 



BIBLE 49 

They were apparently much used as musical ornaments on the trap- 
pings of horses, as we may see upon the sculptured ruins of their cities. 

BeryL Heb. {Jf ^ £f *1 H > tars ^ s ^- The twelfth precious stone 

T 

upon the high-priest's breast-plate, and consequently engraved with the 
name of Benjamin, Jacob's youngest son. It is a mineral of great 
hardness, a variety of emerald, in color a light bluish green, and is semi- 
transparent. It occurs in long prismatic crystals, sometimes of great 
size, weighing two or three thousand pounds each. It is given by St. 
John as the eighth foundation stone of the City of the New Jerusalem. 
According to Dionysius, the bed of the river Choaspes, in Assyria, pro- 
duced the Beryl "more precious than gold." The beryl is the lucky 
stone for October. 

Dr. Smith says, "By tarshish the modern yellow topaz is probably 
intended, while in Rev. xxi. 20, a different stone is perhaps referred to, 
probably the mineral now called beryl, which is identical with the emer- 
ald except in color, being a light green or bluish-green." (Bible Diet.) 

See Topaz. 

Bible. The Book, from the Greek r« ptfiha, "the books." 
The word is derived from a root designating the inner bark of the linden 
tree on which the ancients wrote their books. It is the book as being 
superior to all others. The word Bible, as being applied to the collec- 
tion of works known as the Old and New Testaments cannot be traced 
further back than the fifth century of the present era. It has other 
names applied to it. The Scriptures, that is "the writings," as record- 
ing what was spoken by God. The Oracles, "the things spoken," 
because the Bible is what God speaks to man, and hence also the Word. 
The Testaments or Covenants, because it is the testimony of God to 
man, the truths to which God bears witness; and is also the covenant 
or agreement of God with man for his salvation. And the Law, to 
express that it contains God's commands to men. It consists of sixty- 
six books, thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the 
New. These books are a library in themselves, comprising every form 
of literature. Twenty-two are historical, five poetical, eighteen prophet- 
ical, and twenty-two epistolary. They contain logical arguments, 
poetry, songs, and hymns, history, biography, stories, parables, fables, 
eloquence, law, letters, and philosophy. Among the (at least thirty-six) 



50 



BIBLE. 



different authors, who wrote in three continents, in many countries, in 
three languages, and from every human standpoint, were kings, farmers, 
mechanics, scientists, lawyers, generals, fishermen, ministers and priests, 
a tax-collector, a doctor, some rich, some poor, some city bred, some 
country born — thus touching all the experiences of men — and extending 
over a period of 1500 years. (Smith). The Bible is the great store- 
house of all that is good, and from which Odd-Fellowship draws its 
lessons; a fountain from whence now precepts of Truth, Justice, and 
Morality. To it Odd-Fellowship owes all its principles, and the basis 
of its teachings. Therein is to be found that greatest of all commands, 
' 'Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy mind." "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love 




19. The Bible. 



thy neighbor as thyself." In these two commands, which are 
but the summary of all "God's laws, is had, not only 'the "corner- 
stone, but the whole foundation of Odd-Fellowship; that is, the 
Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God. In truth "it 
is a lamp to our path," a beacon to guide us through storm or 
calm into the peaceful harbor of rest. Most appropriately, the 
Bible, as the symbol of the Word of God, is assigned as an emblem 
to the Degree of Truth. It must be ever present when the Lodge is 
in session. 

In ecclesiastical art, the Holy Ghost is usually represented by the 
dove, but for a few centuries the custom was to represent Him in human 
form, in which case He carried a scroll or book, typifying intelligence 
and wisdom. 



BLACK. 51 

The "Book" is also found in Heraldry, where it has the same sig- 
nificance. The Book with Seven Seals (Rev. v. 1-2) appears upon the 
arms of the University of Oxford. 

As one of the essential doctrines of Odd-Fellowship is its univer- 
sality, whereby it admits to membership all who acknowledge a supreme 
overruling God, the Bible should not be restricted to that of the Christian. 
In a Lodge composed entirely of Jews, the Old Testament should be 
sufficient; or if its membership is made up of Mohamedans, the Koran 
should suffice. "Whether it be the Gospel of the Christian, the Penta- 
teuch of the Jew, the Koran of the Turk, or the Vedas of the Brahman, 
it everywhere conveys the same idea, that of the symbolism of the Divine 
Will revealed to man." (Mackey). 

See Dove. 

Black* The symbol of grief, of silence, of secrecy, speaks of dark- 
ness, wickedness and death. When used with white, it signifies humility, 
mourning, and purity of life. It is the color of the Patriarchal Degree. 
Its somber shade, suggestive of the material darkness and gloom that 
succeeds the setting of the sun, makes it symbolical of "that spiritual 
and moral darkness, unillumined by the Sun of Truth, through which 
man gropes his way to a knowledge of himself and his destiny." In all 
ages, it is apparent, no matter what the details may have been, that the 
governing principle of initiations into the sacred mysteries was the ad- 
vancement of the candidate from darkness into light; from the dark- 
ness of black despair into the brilliant light of hope and knowledge. 
Guillim, an old writer, says of black: "It is the color of horror and de- 
struction, for which respect mourning garments are made of that color 
that most significantly represents the Horror of Death and Corrup- 
tion. " When the Crusaders, aft er the conquest of Jerusalem, installed a 
patriarch over the church of the Holy Sepulchre, diametrically different 
from all other ceremonies of the kind, the feasts of the Virgin were 
marked by the use of black. "O nines solemnitates beate Maria cum 
pannis et vestibus nigris." Invariably white is called for in all other 
church rituals. In an old church inventory, dating from about 1540, 
there is the item "a pair or curteynes black for dirges." (Hulme). 

In the middle ages, black was associated with witchcraft. The 
rooms of the magician and his robes were of this dismal and fear-com- 
pelling color. The darkness of the work, its alleged complicity with 
the "Prince of Darkness," soon brought it the name of the Black Art. In 



52 BLACK. 

many ways the color black has an unpleasant association. Should one 
fail in his desire to obtain membership in some exclusive society, it is 
because of the black-ball. The black-leg menaces one and takes 
one's money through blackmail, while, not unlikely, the rascal, if he 
does not mend his ways, has an opportunity of seeing his judge don the 
black-cap when sentence is pronounced, and of riding in the wagon 
called the Black Maria, from the court to his prison. When a prisoner 
escapes from an English prison, a gun is fired and a black flag dis- 
played to give notice to the neighborhood to watch for the fugitive. 
Black dog is a slang term applied to a counterfeit coin. 

In the days of piracy upon the high seas, a black flag, adorned with 
a Death's head, was frequently the standard of the buccaneer. It was 
his symbol of death and destruction, with no quarter and no pity. 

The Babylonians, to whom everything had a meaning referable to 
the stars, assigned black to the distant and almost invisible Saturn, and 
the first stage of their great tower of Birs-i-Nimrud was of that shade. 

The Chinese make use of black to typify the North, as well as water, 
and they have a god painted black, who rules the North, and grants 
propitious winds. This goodness, so different from the use of black 
in other countries, is explained by the fact that the color of mourning 
in China is white. 

The Knights Templar carried a banner, the upper half of which was 
black, to signify that they were terrible to their foes, while the lower 
half being white, typified their fairness and generosity to their friends. 
In Heraldry, sable (black) signifies grief and prudence, and was an- 
ciently blazoned — that is, spoken of — as diamond. 

The Romans marked auspicious days with chalk, inauspicious 
days with charcoal. Black wax is used for sealing communications 
relating to funerals and their attendant mourning and business. 

Portal says, That black united to other colors gives them a con- 
trary signification, The symbol of evil and falsehood, black is not a 
color, but the negation of all hues, and of that which they represent. 
Thus, red designates divine love, but united with black, it will be the 
symbol of infernal love, of egotism, of hatred, and of all the passions 
of degraded man. Among the Egyptians, according to Horus Apollo, 
the black dove was the hieroglyph for the widow, who remained such 
till her death. A raven announced to Apollo the infidelity of his lover. 
This bird was white ; a messenger of grief, he and his species were meta- 
morphosed to black. In the incantations of Hecate, a representation of 



BLUE. 58 

this goddess was made in wax in three colors, black, white and red, and 
armed with a burning torch, a scourge, and a sword. These three com- 
bined colors signify the love and intellect of hell, or hatred and ven- 
geance. 

See Blindjold; Darkness; Flag; Garter. 

Blindfold* Blindness, as frequently suggested in the Bible, is 
symbolical of moral and intellectual darkness. John, ix. Particularly in 
ix. 40. No one can be in greater darkness than he who cannot see. 
If now, we should wish to impress one whose eyes are equal to all they 
were designed for, with a deep sense of darkness, while ourselves, being 
required to guide him by devious paths and dangerous places, must be 
able to see, for the blind cannot lead the blind successfully, what would 
be more natural than to blindfold him. When darkness is necessary, 
to illustrate the lesson to be taught, the blindfold must be, and has been, 
the means employed upon the candidate, who, in submitting to the 
restraint, in himself symbolizes the faith which is blind. The blindfold 
itself typifies not only the physical darkness, but the moral darkness 
of ignorance and human passions and weaknesses, that can only be 
removed by the light of Divine Love and Truth. 

See Black; Darkness. 

Bloodstone* A variety of hematite, in color varying from a dark 
steely gray to a blood red. Not much used at the present day for gems, 
though it was quite a favorite with the ancients, particularly for intaglio 
work on seals and the like. It is the lucky stone for the month of 
March. 

Blue* The distinctive color of the Second Degree, as it also was of 
the old Third, or Royal Blue Degree. Blue was prominent in the vest- 
ments of the Jewish high-priest. The robe of the ephod, the ribbon for 
staying the breast-plate, and for binding the golden plate upon the 
mitre, were of this color, and it was apparently a favorite color in the 
Levitical ritual. Many references to it may be found in Exodus. In 
the book of Esther, we read of Mordecai in royal apparel of blue and 
white. "Blue, the color of the clear sky, does not carry on its face so 
evident a meaning as the purity of spotless white, the burning ardor 
of glowing red, hence it has somewhat arbitrarily been taken to repre- 
sent eternity, constancy, faith, fidelity, loyalty, truth, spotless reputa- 
tion." (Hulme). 



54 BLUE. 

Many nations of antiquity used blue symbolically. With the 
Druids, it was the symbol of truth. The Egyptians held it a sacred 
color, and the body of Amun, the great god of Thebes, was always 
colored a light blue, to indicate "his exalted and heavenly nature." 
(Wilkinson). The Babylonians of the time of Jeremiah, decked their 
idols with blue. "Blue and purple is their clothing; they are all the 
work of cunning men." 

The sixth stage of the great tower of Birs-i-Nimrud, at Babylon, was 
given an azure tint, to represent the sphere of Mercury, by the vitrifaction 
of its brick, the whole stage having been subjected to an intense heat 
after it was erected. 

In the Christian Church, blue is the celestial color. Its effect is 
softening, cooling, restful, and is the color always used by artists to 
drape the Virgin, where it typifies innocence and purity. 

In Heraldry blue is termed azure and typifies charity. Anciently 
it was blazoned sapphire. 

In English politics, blue is the color adopted by the conservative 
party, and one who is constant and true to the party is known as "True 
Blue." And yet familiar as it is in English, this expression is said to 
be of Spanish parentage, and refers to the blood that fills the veins of 
the aristocracy of that kingdom, which is claimed to be blue in its 
color, while that of inferior mortals is more or less black, and the pro- 
verb "True blue will never stain," instead of meaning, as is generally 
supposed, that "a noble heart will never disgrace itself," actually refers 
to the "blue aprons" worn by butchers because of their not showing 
blood stains. A far jump this, from the blue blood of the haughty 
Spanish grandee to the humble apron of the butcher's boy. 

The ancient Britons assigned blue to the bards or poets, as the 
particular color of their dress. The lover who seals his letters to his 
beloved with wax, uses blue to signify his constancy. 

Being the color of the heavens which surround the whole world, it 
is the proper symbol of Brotherly Love, indicating that it should be as 
far-reaching, and as constant as the ends of the earth. 

In the Bible, the air is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, of the Divine 
Truth, which enlightens mankind, and azure, or celestial blue, is the 
symbolic color of air as well as its actual. 

In most ancient cosmogonies, the Deity is referred to as the Word or 
Breath that hovered over chaos. It is in the Word that God has always 
manifested His power. In Genesis it is the Word (God said), and when 



BLUE. 55 

attempts are made to represent Him in the character of the creator, He, 
or at least His garments, are of blue. The sacred books of Hindustan 
assert that Vishnu, the creator, was born of a blue color. Kneph, the 
supreme god of the Egyptians, the creator of the universe, was painted 
of a sky blue. In Greece, blue is the color of Jupiter. In China, 
heaven is the supreme god, and in Christian symbolism, the azured 
vault of heaven is the mantle which veils the divinity. (Portal) . 

The Savior is robed in blue upon the paintings of the Middle Ages, 
depicting scenes of the three years of His preaching truth and wisdom. 

"Symbolism," says Portal, "distinguishes three blue colors; one 
which emanates from red, another from white, and a third allied to 
black, frequently distinguished by different gradations of color, and 
sometimes confounded with one alone. The blue emanating from red 
represents the etherial fire; and its signification is the celestial love of 
truth. In the mysteries, it relates to the baptism of fire. The blue 
emanating from white indicates the truth of faith, and relates to the 
living waters of the Bible, or to the baptism of the Spirit. The blue 
allied to black conducts us back to the cosmogony, to the Spirit of God 
moving on chaos. It relates to natural baptism." 

These three aspects of the same color correspond to the three prin- 
cipal degrees of ancient initiation, and to the triple baptism of Chris- 
tianity. St. John said, "I baptize with water and lead you to repen- 
tance, but He who cometh after me is mightier than I ; He will baptize 
you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." These three degrees are 
particularized in painting by red, blue, and green. "Green, black, 
and deep blue, indicate the world born from the depth of the primitive 
waters, and the first degree of initiation. Azure represents regeneration, 
or the spiritual formation of man, and red the sanctification." (Ibid). 

Blue in its absolute signification represents Truth Divine ; and was 
the symbol of divine eternity and of human immortality. As a natural 
consequence blue became a mortuary color. In a MS. of the tenth 
century, there is a picture of Jesus in the tomb. He is bound with blue 
fillets; his countenance is blue; while the sepulchre is red. Two angels 
appear, sitting on a stone ; the one to the right has a blue aureole and a 
violet mantle, symbols of the passion and of the death of Christ. The 
angel on the left has a yellow aureole and a purple mantle, symbols 
of the triumphs of divine love and revelation. 

A blue stone scarab (beetle) ornamented the rings of Egyptian war- 
riors. These were symbols of the oath of fidelity taken by the soldiers. 



56 



BOW. 



The color of the celestial dome, azure, was in divine language the 
symbol of the eternal truth; in consecrated language, of immortality; 
and in profane languane, of fidelity. (Portal). 

See Colors; Garter; Green; Sapphire. 



11 1 drew them with the cords of a man, with the bands of 
love." (Hosea, xi. 4). As in the quotation, the original word was 
band, which in the Anglo-Saxon was used solely in its material sense. 
That is, something tangible that ties or binds, like a cord, a chain, or a 
strap. The use of the word, however, has been widely extended. The 
form band has been restricted to use in the material sense, while the form 
bond is used to indicate those thing which constrain the mind or will; 
the power or influence that unites men in a common cause, that holds 
them to their obligations, their covenants, and their duty. In this 
sense every Odd Fellow is under bonds to cherish and to protect his 
fellow-man; to perform the offices of Brotherly Love, which is the Bond 
of Unity. He is bound by the ties of a deathless friendship, by such 
a sacred tie, indeed, as God has "bound Himself to His creatures on the 
scroll of heaven, with the rainbow as his seal." No good Odd Fellow 
ever broke such bonds; the security is always good. 




20. Archaic Bow. 

Bow. The instrument with which Jonathan shot the arrows 
against the stone Ezel. (See Bow, Arrows and Quiver.) The bow as 
used in warfare, and in hunting is, probably, with the sling, the oldest 
known instrument for throwing projectiles, and in the absence of gun- 
powder, it was an indispensable adjunct to the property of every man. 
With the crude implements of husbandry, by which the scantiest of 
crops were raised, it was needful to have the means whereby game could 
be procured, and as soon as a boy was able to draw a bow, one was 
placed in his hands. And oft-times it was only by the use of the bow 
that starvation was averted. All able-bodied men, from the highest to 
the lowest, were compelled, for their very existence, to pursue the chase. 
As time went on, and nations were formed, and better methods of 



BOW, ARROWS AND QUIVER. 57 

cultivation were devised, still the chase was kept up, if not for food, to 
destroy the beasts of prey. Numerous illustrations of kings and 
"mighty men" using the bow in pursuit of and destroying lions and 
tigers and other beasts, have been found in Assyria, Egypt, and Scan- 
dinavia. The Assyrian kings are seldom represented in any of their 
many pictuures, without a bow in their hands or carried by a close 
attendant. 

So often is this the case that it would appear that the bow was an 
emblem of authority. 

Bow, Arrows and Quiver, One of the emblems of the Degree of 
Friendship. When Jonathan went forth to warn David of his peril, he 
shot three arrows, as though he shot at a mark, and sent a lad, saying, 
"Go find the arrows that I shoot." When the lad failed to find them 




21. The Bow, Arrows and Quiver. 

quickly, he called " Are not the arrows beyond thee ? Make haste ! Stay 
not!" Thus was the warning given. Surrounded by the enemies of 
David, Jonathan dared not directly approach his hiding place, yet 
by this simple ruse of shooting the arrows he conveyed a world of 
meaning. Odd Fellows, being bound by a covenant as holy as that 
between Jonathan and David, are reminded of the bond by these sym- 
bols, and when a brother is in danger, then the warning is to be given, 
and as taught by this example, to be given in a similar manner. That 
is, covertly. 

The bow, by itself, typical of the rainbow, is symbolical of the 
covenant between God and Noah, wherein God promised that the 



58 BRASS, SOUNDING. 



earth should never again suffer from flood. The arrows indicate that 
whatever aim we have in life, we should follow that aim straight and 
true to the mark. The quiver, the storehouse for the arrows, signifies 
that we should have a "place for everything and everything should be 
in its place" so that when emergencies arise, we need not waste our 
time in idle search for things mislaid. The peculiar arrows of Odd 
Fellowship are the signs, grips, and tokens; the quiver is the memory, 
which should always be full, so that when the hour of necessity arrives, 
the bow of experience, strained with the strings of the heart, may be 
sprung with unerring aim. 

In the old Second, or Covenant Degree, this symbol was divided; 
the quiver and bow from the (Three) arrows. The whole combined are 
suggestive of the warning — "In peace prepare for war." The bow may 
be unstrung and thereby indicate "the benefit of a relaxation from 
undue tension of mind or body, when recreation can be safely sought." 
Further, the well filled quiver will remind us of the necessity of preparing 
ourselves for action and to be ever ready to guard a brother or further his 
welfare — a brother ever, in Peace or War. (Grosh). 

See Arrows; Bow; Rainbow; Quiver. 

Brass, Sounding* "Though I speak with the tongues of men and 
of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a 
tinkling cymbal." (i Cor. xiii. i). This is the great apostle Paul's 




22. Cymbals. 
From Rawlinson's "Seven Great Monarchies." 

opinion of those long-faced, big-worded talkers, who talk, yet do not 
act; who preach, but do not practice; who make bombastic promises 
that are never fulfilled. The source of the figure was the tinkling 



BREAST-PLATE. 59 



cymbals or ornaments of metal, usually of brass, attached to the bridles 
of horses, or the hopples worn by young women, (see Bells) which were 
of no other use than to make a pleasant sound. 

On one of the many scenes depicted upon the ruined walls of the 
great palace at Nineveh is shown a eunuch playing a pair of cymbals. 
As seen in the cut, the cymbals are conical in form, and appear to be 
elongated from their apexes into handles. They were used in much 
the same manner as are those of the military bands of today. Rawlinson 
says, that the "high sounding cymbals of Psalm cl., 5, were probably 
of the same style." (7 Mon. Note 385 to chap. VII). 

Bread* In speaking figuratively, the word " bread" is often used as 
meaning food or sustenance in general; the same as the original meaning 
of the word "meat." To "break bread" with another, is to eat with, 
or to partake of his hospitality. In the Orient this is very significant; 
more particularly, if salt is offered or contained in the food. The 
expression, "He knows upon which side his bread is butterred," refers to 
one's making the selection most favorable to him, when one is in a 
dilemma and must choose between alternative courses. 

See Salt. 

Breast-Plate* Heb. J %} p} , chosen, or p} 3 £? □ J t# n > chosen 
mishpet, the breast-plate of judgment. This was a part of the regalia 
of the high-priest, and peculiar to him. It was called the breast-plate 
of judgment because the high-priest based his decisions relating to the 
welfare of the people upon the responses he received from it. It was 
made of fine white twined linen, embroidered with the sacred colors, 
gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. Its length and breadth was a span 
or about nine and one-half inches. The cloth was two spans in length 
and doubled, so as to give it greater strength, as well as to form a pocket, 
in which was placed the Urim and Thummim. Further than that these 
words mean "Light and Perfection" we have no knowledge of their 
character. The breast-plate was furnished with a golden ring at each 
of its four corners, as points for attaching its supports. Golden chains 
carried its weight to the shoulder buckles of the ephod, while blue rib- 
bons served to steady the lower corners; these being made fast to the 
"curious" girdle. Upon the breast-plate, twelve precious stones were 
mounted in golden settings, in four rows of three each. Each stone 
was engraved with the name of one of the twelve tribes. Authorities 
differ as to the particular arrangement of the stones, due to the fact that 



60 



BREAST-PLATE; 



the exact equivalents for the original Hebrew words are not'now known. 
The authorized version of the Bible gives it in the following order: 
(Ex. xxviii. 17), Sardius, topaz, carbuncle; emerald, sapphire, diamond; 
ligure, agate, amethyst; beryl, onyx, and jasper. The revised version 
gives it much the same, but gives variants in the margin, as follows; 
the variants being given in parentheses: Sardius (ruby), topaz, carbuncle 
(emerald); emerald (carbuncle), sapphire, diamond (sardonyx); jacinth 
(amber), agate, amethyst; beryl (chalcedony), onyx (beryl), jasper. 
Other arrangements are found, but the diagram below, taken from the 
Vulgate translation, appears to be the most preferable, as it was made 
in Jerusalem, in the fourth century, by St. Jerome, who had the aid of 
several learned Jews. It differs from that of Josephus, (Ant. Ill, vii) 
only in the transposition of the fifth and sixth, and the eighth and ninth 
stones. 

Read from right to left. 



Emerald 


Topaz 
Sapphire 


Sardius 


Jasper 

Amethyst 

Beryl 


Carbuncle 


Agate 
Onyx 


Ligure 


Chrysolite 



It is doubtful if the diamond, as we call the brilliant crystal of 
carbon, was used on the front of the breast-plate, but it is entirely possi- 
ble, that among the spoils taken from the Egyptians, (Ex. xi, 2) there 
were at least two of great size. These might readily represent " light 
and perfection" or truth, particularly if one was in a rough or uncut 
condition, and the other cut or having naturally perfect facets. The 
names of the twelve tribes engraved upon the stones were in the order 
of the respective ages of the sons of Jacob. 



Levi 


Simeon 


Reuben 


Zebulon 


Issachar 
Naphtali 
Joseph 


Judah 


Gad 
Benjamin 


Dan 


Asher 



BREAST-PLATE. 



61 



The engraving of the names upon the jewels, some of them ex- 
ceedingly hard, has excited the curiosity of many students. There is a 
rahinical legend regarding a worm called " Shamir" the solvent power of 
whose blood was so great that it could corrode the hardest substances, 
and it is supposed that Moses' artisans used it for the purpose. It is 
possible that the legend is based upon the corruption of the Greek 
word smiris, emery, which was used by the ancient engravers upon their 
medallions, the word shamir being simply the Hebrew form of the Greek 
word. For description and symbolism of these various stones, see the 




23. Pectoral of Amenemhat. 
A Gold Breast- Plate founds by M. de Morgan in an Egyptian Tomb. 



several titles. The breast-plate of the high-priest typified the bearing 
within the breast of that vicar of God, the whole religious and political 
life of the nation, and symbolized the truth. While the individual who 
alone was entitled to wear it was looked upon as little less than divine 
when not clothed in his full regalia, he was, when so arrayed with his 
breast-plate and ephod, and standing in front of the Holy of Holies, with 
hands uplifted in prayer or reproof, regarded as the real mouth-piece of 
God himself, and his words, the words of truth. 

In degree work, the high-priest Aaron should under no circum- 
stances be represented without a substitute, or imitation, of this most 



62 BROTHERLY LOVE, DEGREE OF. 



important adjunct to his costume, for it is pre-eminently the symbol 
of truth or the Divine Word. 

The idea of this pectoral ornament seems to have originated in 
Egypt, where it is frequently shown in the pictures on the walls of 
temples, and mausoleums and numbers of the real articles have already 
been found, and no great museum of archaeology is without at least one. 
The cut herewith is from a pectoral ornament found by M. Jacques de 
Morgan, in the tomb of Amenemhat, III, at Dashour, and is of pure 
gold. 

The following is given for what it is worth, it having for some time 
obtained great credence among a certain school, yet no reliable au- 
thority can be found for it. Each of the twelve stones contained in this 
breast-plate was cut with six facets or sides, and on each of these sides 
was engraved one of the seventy-two names of God. When necessary 
to consult the breast-plate the high-priest detached it from his person 
and placed it upon the Mercy-Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, and lifted 
up a prayer for enlightenment. The breast-plate was supposed to re- 
volve, and on ceasing so to do, the high-priest observed in the facets of 
the jewels the reflections of the four cherubim that hovered over the Ark, 
and reading their significations in combination with those of the name 
of God on the stones of the tribe regarding which the prediction was 
sought, cabalistically drew prophetic inferences. 

Broken Column* See Three-Pillars. 

Broken Spear* See Spear, Broken. 

Brotherhood* When our Saviour, speaking to the multitude and to 
His disciples, said "all ye are brethren" (Mat. xxiii, 8), he implied 
that there was a tie of mutual interests that bound them into a fra- 
ternity. St. Peter recognized this, and later he adjured his disciples 
to "love the brethren." Now the word brotherhood means simply 
the state of being brothers; but in view of the foregoing, that men might 
be brothers, not merely as sons of the same parents or as blood relatives, 
but as having mutual and identical interests, then the fraternity of Odd 
Fellows is, in this symbolic sense, a brotherhood. 

Brotherly Love* Degree of. This central link in the chain of Odd- 
Fellowship is one of the four corner-stones of the Order. The teachings 
of this degree are so emphatic that symbols, emblems, or words even 
are not sufficient to impress the candidate with the divinity of its lesson 



BUDDED ROD, AARON'S. 63 

in humanity. The illustration of its need, of its heartfelt spontaneity, 
its exploitation, and its results, coupled with the heavenly inspired 
story, which is the base upon which the work is founded, find symbolism 
too weak as a medium for teaching it ; hence its dramatic representation 
as the most efficacious method. Rare indeed is the brother who, having 
received the Divine Lesson of Humanity, has failed to respond to the 
call of the distressed, whether it be a brother in good standing, in poor 
standing or in no standing, or whether it is one who has ever been a 
brother or not. The necessity for assistance shows for itself, and no 
true Odd Fellow who sees the sign will refuse the answering sign, which 
is (not so universal) the assistance required. Through Brotherly Love 
the weak are supported by the strong, the old reverenced by the young, 
the poor assisted by the rich, the ignorant instructed by the educated, 
the sick nursed by the well, and all good men, through this virtue, are 
imitating the Redeemer of the world. 

Bruised Reed* An emblem of weakness ; sometimes of misplaced 
trust. As for example, in 2 Kings, xviii, 21, which reads — "Now 
behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon 
Egypt, on which if a man leans it will go into his hand, and pierce it; 
so is Pharoah, king of Egypt, unto all that trust in him." As used 
in Isaiah, xlii, 3 ; Matt, xii, 20, the bruised reed would indicate a weak 
and afflicted mortal who would not be further oppressed by the severe 
judgments of God. In the funeral service, it refers to the family of the 
deceased that is, by its loss, bruised and weakened, and must be sup- 
ported and defended till time repairs death's injury. 

Bttdded Rod, Aaron's. One of the emblems of the old Fifth Degree. 
It was dropped in the condensation of the work, but is still seen, how- 
ever, in the decorations of Odd Fellows' halls, and in illuminations. 
Emblematic of the high-priest, it should retain its place, at least in 
memory, in the priestly Degree, as it is a reminder of Aaron, the 
mouthpiece of Moses, who, although by divine appointment, the vice- 
gerent of God, had but a stammering tongue, and a too retiring dis- 
position. Aaron, therefor, was the spokesman to guide and instruct 
the people; and as the brother, who has attained the Scarlet Degree 
is qualified to instruct and direct those who are aiming to reach it, this 
budded-rod should be a constant reminder that the truth only should 
emanate from the mouth of a brother of the degree of the Imperial 
Virtue. 



64 



BUDDED ROD, AARON'S. 



It will be remembered, that when the people were clamoring to 
Moses for a priest, under the direction of the Most High, he had them 
place a rod for each tribe, within the Holy of Holies before the Ark of 
the Covenant. Aaron's rod was used to represent the tribe of Levi, and 
when the rods were withdrawn, behold ! all the rods were without change, 
remaining as they were when placed before the Ark, save Aaron's rod, 
which alone, had budded and brought forth flowers. 




24. Aaron's Budded Rod. 

The Jews held this rod in such veneration that it was, after Aaron's 
death, preserved in the most sacred of all places, in the ark itself, 
and by the introduction of the device of budding almond flowers upon 
the shekels of Jerusalem. 




25. Jewish Shekel. 



The illustration is that of a Jewish shekel, of about 450 B. C. The 
device upon the reverse is the pot of manna, which was preserved in 
company with the budded-rod in the ark. 

See Moses' Rod. 



BUNDLE-OF-STICKS. 



65 



Btmdk-of-Rods. There is no such thing in Odd-Fellowship as a 
bundle-of-rods. See Bundle-of-Sticks. 

Bundk-of-Stkks* Sometimes called the bundle-of-rods. This, in 
view of the significance given it as an emblem of Odd-Fellowship, is a 
misnomer. The magistrates of Rome were wont to have lictors — 
quasi-military officers — march before them, bearing fasces, or bundles- 
of-rods, usually of birch, with an axe bound in with them, the blade 
projecting. The axe was bound in at the side, not as exhibited in 
modern architectural ornamentation, with the haft in the center and 
blade atop. These fasces were indicative of authority, not an emblem 
of union, as the bundle-of-sticks is intended to be. The birch switches 



n 







26. Roman Fasces. 

and axe had also other uses, such as whipping and beheading. In 
this connection, it is interesting to know that the Indian name, ' 'Thay- 
an-da-ne-ga," of Joseph Brant, the powerful Mohawk chief, who assisted 
the British in murdering the Americans in northern and eastern New 
York, in the early years of the Revolution, means, in English, bundle-of- 
rods. This name, given him as the son and heir of a chief, was most 
appropriate, for, as with the Romans, the bundle-of-rods was the 
badge of authority among the Six Nations. The same thing obtained 
upon the western plains. The Indians of the Raw used the bundle-of- 
rods under the name of "Chin-do-win" for the same purpose. 

The Bundle-of-Sticks, as far. as known, is used by no other fraternal 
organization as a representative emblem, nor as far as extensive research 
5 



66 " C." 

can discover, has it ever been used save by Odd Fellows. It can be 
found, however, upon the coat of arms of an English gentleman who 
resided in London in the early years of the 18th Century. 

In his high estate, as lord of creation, "no man liveth to himself." 
No man, be he ever so powerful physically, or so strong intellectually, 
can long keep up the struggle of life, without the aid of others. Hence 
it is that men combine their energies for their common good, forming 
societies, communities, states, and nations, which by their union pro- 
tect each member. The bundle-of-sticks is, therefore, a practical 
illustration of the strength of union. Bound together by the chain of 
Friendship, Love, and Truth, fastened with the shackle of Fidelity, 




27. The Bundle of Sticks. 

what though there be a weak or dry-rotted stick in the bunch, the 
weakest, aye! even the dead sticks are an element of strength. With 
no power of resistance in themselves, they yet form a fulcrum, a brace, 
a hold or a stiffening about which the strong and supple must be bent 
to allow of the least deflection. The same we find in the Order. A 
few members are weak, many others are strong, indeed some are made 
more strong, because of the need of protecting the weak. "Some are 
afflicted with dry-rot, which has the effect of giving others possessed 
of the vital fluids of generosity and charity the incentive to put forth 
greater efforts to assist the needy and ameliorate their condition. The 
very fact that the dead or dying are constantly with us, also strengthens 
and makes better men of us. While saddening our hearts, they bring 
into play those three great virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity. "And 
the greatest of these is Charity." 

"C " The third letter of the English alphabet is not known in 
Hebrew. As a numeral in the Roman system C is the symbol for 
100. 



CARDINAL POINTS. 67 



Carbuncle. Heb. H p 1 3> baraketh. A red variety of garnet. 
Most writers suppose the baraketh of Mosaic times was a smaragdus or 
emerald. The Hebrew word is derived from one meaning a bright 
sparkling gem, which would apply equally as well to the brilliant 
green of the emerald, as to the brilliant red of the car- 
buncle. This stone, representing the tribe of Judah, occupied the first 
place in the second row of jewels upon the breast-plate of the high- 
priest. 

In Christian imagery, the carbuncle symbolizes blood and suffer- 
ing. Five of them placed in the form of a cross, are emblematic of the 
five wounds of Christ. 

According to the Mohamedans, the sixth heaven, the abode of St. 
John, the Baptist, is of carbuncle. In Eastern tales, the carbuncle 
shines in darkness, and spreads its light afar. The ancients conse- 
crated it to the sun. Over the gables of the palace of Prester John, a 
mythical Eastern potentate of the twelfth century, were hung two golden 
apples, in each of which were two carbuncles, so that the gold might 
shine by day and the carbuncles by night. (S. Baring-Gould, Cur. 
Myth. p. 45). 

In old time Heraldry, when colors were described under the names 
of the precious stones, red was blazoned carbuncle. At present, how- 
ever, an Heraldic carbuncle consists of eight scepters radiating from a 
central annulet. Doubtless this was intended to represent the angles 
formed by the facets of a jewel. 

Cardinal Points* The north, south, east, and west. So called 
from the Latin, cardo, a hinge, which is evidently derived from the Greek, 
Kpadav, swing. The ancients considered the universe to be a temple 
and the earth but a smaller one. They were aware that the earth 
rotated upon an axis, or rather, supposed that it was pivoted, as upon 
hinges at the north and the south. Hence when laying out their cities, 
temples, etc., the agrimensore or surveyor stood facing the south (it 
being held that the gods dwelt in the north, and he should look over the 
land in the same direction as they) and laid out the main or principal 
street of the city or center of the building, as nearly north and south as 
possible. This, the base line, was termed cardo. At the middle of 
this, a second line, called decumanus, was drawn, cutting the line cardo 
at right angles. These lines, making four radii from their intersection, 
formed the fundamental basis upon which the whole was laid out. 



68 CATHARINE OF RUSSIA. 

Various attributes were given them in ancient philosophy; among which 
are the four great virtues, Justice, Prudence, Temperance, and Forti- 
tude, termed the cardinal virtues. It may be interesting to note, that 
in the far east the magian surveyor derived his cardinal points from the 
four imaginary turning points in the path of the sun. He faced the 
east while plotting his land, and reckoned east, west, zenith, and nadir. 
When his shadow fell due north and south, upon it he set his marks and 
drew his decumanus. The magian built his temple upward, his western 
cousin spread his flat upon the ground. 

Cardinal Virtues* There are four virtues, which, from their im- 
portance, were classed in ancient philosophy as being the points upon 
which good character hinged. They are Justice, Prudence, Temper- 
ance, and Fortitude. There can be little doubt that the word cardinal 
was originally applied to these virtues in the same sense in which it was 
applied to other things, as synonymous with "principal," that on which 
a thing hinges (cardo), (hinge). Pope Eugenius IV, writing of the Car- 
dinalate, in 143 1, says, "As the door of a house turns upon its hinges, so 
the See of the Universal Apostolic Church rests and is supported upon 
this institution." (Ency. Brit., vol. V, p. 96). 

But the cardinal virtue of Odd-Fellowship is Toleration; that toler- 
ation so aptly described by the Divine Teacher when He said: "What- 
soever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." 
Toleration embraces all the virtues. It demands Justice in all our 
dealings; it calls for Prudence in our acts; it requires Temperance in our 
language as well as in our living; and expects Fortitude under affliction. 

The key-note of Toleration is struck at initiation, when the candi- 
date is shown that the sacred tolerance of the Brotherhood of Man, 
under the Fatherhood of God, "by its gentle influence, gathers within 
its orbit antagonistic natures," and through Friendship, Love, and 
Truth, ' 'controls the elements of discord, stills the storm, and soothes 
the spirit of passion." 

See Cardinal Points. 

Catharine of Russia* This woman, mentioned in the Rebekah 
work, is a type of all that is great and bad. Uniting a marvellous intel- 
lect and talent for diplomacy and command with an unscrupulous am- 
bition and an extraordinary disregard for virtuous restraint, her man- 
agement of the affairs of the empire over which she ruled, her enlarge- 
ment of its boundaries, her practical reforms in its government, her lack 



CENSER. 69 



of honesty, her corruptions and briberies in gaining her ends, her im- 
morality and unconcealed liasons, caused the great French writer to 
call her "the Simiramis of the North." 

Born at Stettin, Prussia, May 2, 1729; died at St. Petersburg, Nov. 
17, 1796, she usurped the throne in 1762, after having, with the assis- 
tance of her paramour, Gregory Orloff, and a few other prominent 
favorites, deposed her husband, Peter III, who was something of a 
weakling and as loose in his morals as herself. It is not thought, how- 
ever, that she was concerned in the murder of the imprisoned Peter, who 
is said to have been brutally strangled by Orloff and his brother Alexis. 

Cement* The emblematic use of this homely material is a good 
example of the beauties of symbolism. It is typical of a covenanted 
brotherhood, signifying the "bond" that holds the brethren together 
in fraternal union here below, and the Divine Love, that in the Father's 
own good time, will unite them as "living stones in that building of 
God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2 
Cor. v. 1). 

Censer* A small vessel of metal carried by chains — in Egypt, by a 
long handle — in which live coals were placed, and upon which incense 
was sprinkled by the priests. (Lev. xvi 11-12). Being swung about 
it gave forth pungent aromatic fumes, which were the symbol of the 
pure thoughts and grateful feelings due to the great I Am. (Rev. 
viii, 3-5)- 




28. Egyptian Censer. 
From Smith's Bible Dictionary. 

The censers used in the Tabernacle were santined to the Lord, 
and one not of the house of Aaron was subject to death if he denied 
them by merely a touch. (Num. xvi, 36). Nor durst any strange fire 
be placed in them, other than that from the altar: it was death. (Lev. 
x, 1-2). See Incense. 



70 CHAINS. 

Chain-gang* A party of political or criminal prisoners under the 
restraint of chains, either in travelling or at work in the open. The 
term is good-naturedly applied to a party or lodge of Odd Fellows, re- 
ferring to the bit of chain formed by the three links, worn by almost 
every Odd Fellow as a badge. 

This is an apt illustration of symbolism as applied to an idea, 
wherein the literal meaning of the words express one thing, while the 
underlying reference is entirely different. In this particular case, 
there is a far deeper meaning than the careless speaker would suppose. 
Every Odd Fellow well knows that from his first admission, he is truly 
bound with a chain that so long as he holds himself true to the spirit as 
well as the letter of his obligations, restrains him from a world of self- 
ishness and binds him hard and fast to his brethren. Yet to him who 
wears this chain with good grace, comes neither pain, nor fear, nor 
shame, for it is a chain of Friendship, Love, and Truth. 

See Badge. 

Chain, Mystic* See Mystic Chain. 

Chains* In ancient times chains, as now, were used for many 
other than mechanical purposes. For instance, the chain placed 
about Joseph's neck by Pharaoh was a badge of his authority (Gen. 
xiv, 42) as also the chain promised Daniel (Dan. v, 7). In Eizek. xvi, 
11, the chain is mentioned as the symbol of sovereignty. Ornamental 
chains were worn by both men and women, while the Midianites adorned 
the necks of their camels with them, probably for the same reason that 
our fashionables put chain martingales upon their horses. They 
were pleased with the rhythmic jingle. The Jews confined their pris- 
oners with chains attached to fetters; much the same as is done today. 
The Romans handcuffed the prisoner to his guard. The Assyrians 
held their victims by a leather thong run through the tongue or lip. 

To the use of the chain for the security of prisoners, we must look 
for its symbolism of confinement or restraint. As such confinement 
was, and is, usually in darkness, its use in this respect is very apt. St. 
Peter had a practical experience with chains and darkness (Acts xii, 6) 
and vented himself later in describing the sinning angels. "For if God 
spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and de- 
livered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." (2 
Peter ii, 4). St. Jude also tells us, "The angels which kept not their 
first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting 



CHERUBIM. 71 



chains, under darkness. Mohamed in the Koran, Chap. 76, has a 
similar expression: "We have prepared for the unbelievers chains 
and collars (pillories?) and burning fire." In Chap. 13, he speaks of 
unbelievers as ' 'bound in chains of error and obstinacy. ' ' 

It would appear, in speaking figuratively of the chain, that it is the 
material of it that is the real symbol in many cases. As above, the 
metal is of darkness, of error, of obstinacy. Then we hear of the chains 
of love and of friendship. In fact the figurative chain may be of any 
of our feelings, moods, or conditions. 

Again it is not the chain but the use of it that forms the figure. One 
who is restrained and harassed by circumstances is said to have a 
chain about his neck. One may also be chained figuratively by his 
various emotions, as fear, surprise, and so on, when such emotions 
cause a temporary paralysis of one 's functions. 

In ecclesiastical art, slaves with broken chains betoken benefi- 
cence, while a broken chain is often used for a simile of severed families, 
of broken friendships, and of lost love. In Heraldry, the chain is not 
absent, though it is almost invariably attached to a collar (upon an 
animal) or to fetters. 

See Badge; Darkness; Mystic Chain. 

Chariot* The ancients being ignorant of the true science of astron- 
omy, and therefore incapable of conceiving the action of the planets 
and stars, save in a material way, were wont to illustrate the sun and 
moon as being transported in various conveyances. Thus, the Egyp- 
tians carried their representation of the sun in a boat (ark?), while the 
Greeks imagined the great luminary was borne across the sky in a golden 
chariot, driven by the sun god Apollo, who, in the character of a chariot- 
eer, was called "the bright one." The chariot hence became the 
symbol of the sun. The horses that drew the car were the symbols of 
the sun's rays. 

Charity. The peculiar symbol of this great virtue is the open 
hand. Open not only for the giving of alms or benevolences, but for 
reaching out to and reclaiming the erring, for drawing an offender back 
to forgiveness, and for indicating the spirit of faith and love. 

Cherubim. The symbolic figures called cherubim were apparently 
creature forms, which had parallels in the Assyrian winged bulls, the 
Egyptian sphinx, and the Persian lion. Cherubim of beaten gold 



72 CHERUBIM. 



rested upon the Ark of the Covenant, one at either end, with wings out- 
spread to cover the Mercy Seat, toward which their faces were inclined. 
Between them appeared the Light, the Shekinah, the Divine Presence. 
What the actual form of the cherubim was, it is impossible to determine. 
While explicit directions are given in Exodus xxv, 18 — , and in i Kings 
vi, 27, for position, attitude, and material, nothing, save that they were 
winged, is said regarding their form. Josephus says that they resem- 
bled no figure known to man, and in his day their form was entirely 
lost. Many biblical students accept the idea that they were much of 
the form of the man-headed bulls that guarded the entrances to the 
palaces and temples of the Assyrians and Babylonians, basing their 
arguments upon the description given in Ezekiel i, 1-14. In part he 
says, ' 'And every one had four faces and every one had four wings, and 
their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of 
a calf's foot." "As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face 
of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side ; and they four had the 
face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle." 
The "face of an ox" and the "sole of a calf's foot" would imply that 
the body between would be after the form of a bull. And we find in 
Chapter x, verse 14, the expression "the face of a cherub" substituted 
for the "face of an ox." It is not at all unlikely that they had the bull 
form, for Moses, who had been educated by and lived in intimate 
relations with the Egyptians, would be imbued, to a great extent, with 
their material religious accessories, as well as by his knowledge of what 
was in use in Assyria. It is quite possible that he may have looked upon 
those immense alabaster bulls that stood guard at the gates of the great 
palace of Nineveh; for he fled, after killing the Egyptian, into the country 
of the Midianites, beyond Sinai, remaining there forty years; returning 
to Egypt, to again behold the sphinxes and the man -formed idols with 
heads of hawks, and lions, and jackals. 

In Hebrew, the singular form of Q 1 2 n 2 > cherubim, is 2 1 *1 2 > 
cherub; but no definition for it can be found. According to Aben Ezra, 
the word means all sorts of images in general. Several rabbis assert 
that the form was that of a child; considering the 2 as a servile letter 
they read JO T 2 > chrbia, which in Chaldee means like an infant. 
From this idea have arisen the little winged heads used in religious 
paintings, and doubtless the form so familiar upon the substitute Arks 
used by various orders in their mysteries. The etymology of the 
word is, however, doubtful. In Syriac ^ 2 1 1 D > means strong, power- 



CHRYSOLITE. 73 



jul, perhaps in allusion to the ox used in agriculture, the root 2 *"0 
meaning labor. Rosenmiller considers that Moses found the figure 
of the Chroub in the sanctuaries of ancient Egypt, where the image of the 
lion symbolized strength and majesty; the bull, constancy, firmness, 
force; the man corresponding with humanity and gentleness — 
<pdavOpwTzia^ and the eagle, with the energy and the sublimity of the 
Divine nature. (Mackenzie). 

The cherubim have also been compared to the yeo<peq, or griffons 
of the Persians — guardians of the mountain of gold. 

"It is not improbable that the cherubim were intended to sym- 
bolize the manifold powers of nature — created life in its highest form — 
their overshadowing wings meeting in perfect harmony, their eyes cast 
downward toward the divine law, over which, seemingly, so rigid and 
unbending, was the compassion of One forgiving iniquity, transgres- 
sion and sin" (Maclear). 

The "face of the man" expressed their wisdom and intelligence; 
the "face of the ox" their strength; the "face of the lion" their imperial 
authority; while their swiftness and far-sightedness was expressed by 
the "face of an eagle." 

Another interpretation is that given by combining all that can be 
found in other parts of the Bible, with the description of the four beasts 
of the Apocalypse, (Rev. v, 8-14), in which it is said that the cherubim 
represent God's redeemed people, and the four faces are their attri- 
butes. Their facing toward the four quarters of the globe indicates the 
duty of the people in spreading the truth throughout all the land, while 
the wings typify the swiftness of obedience. 

One of the higher ranks of the angels, those occupying the place 
next to the Seraphim, are named Cherubim. 

See Ark of the Covenant. 

Children of Israel* See Israel. 

Chrysolite* Literally gold-stone. An olive-green, yellow, brown, or 
colorless crystal, composed of silicate of magnesium and iron, and dif- 
fering but slightly from the topaz. It is one of the precious stones 
which form the foundation of the New Jerusalem (Rev. xxi, 20), and 
occupied the first place on the fourth row of jewels in the high-priest's 
breast-plate, where it was dedicated to the tribe of Asher. The old 
pagans had the belief that the chrysolite had the power to drive away 
evil spirits. See Topaz. 



74 CLASPED HANDS. 



Grcamambtilation, Called deasul or deisel by the Scotch, and 
pradahkshina by the Brahmins, is the marching in a circle about an 
altar or other object, of a religious procession. It is a formal method 
of making manifest veneration or regard for the object so encircled. 
The movement must be made sun-wise. That is, the object must be 
kept on the right of the walker. To march with the object on the left, 
or as the Scotch put it, to walk withershins, is adverse, and equivalent 
to a curse. The custom is very ancient, and supposed to have been a 
part of, or derived from, the worship of the sun. All the ancient cere- 
monies included circumambulation, and, with few exceptions, it 
was sun-wise. The Hebrews and Moslems are of the exception to the 
rule. They moved with the left side toward the object of their 
veneration. Perhaps, as has been suggested, the Semitic .form 'was 
due to the rule in connection with worshipping at tombs. Such is the 
practice of the Mohammedans at the present day. If this was 
adopted in the work of the Order, ''withershins" (against the sun) 
would be correct for initiations, and "deasul" "(with the sun) for the 
degrees. 




29. Gimmal Ring. 

Clasped Hands* An emblem used in the early days of the Order, 
and abandoned, probably, because of its having come into too common 
use among other fraternities. It is of Ancient Roman origin, and is 
symbolical of Fidelity and Trust. Doubtless it was introduced into 
England at a very early day, as it is found upon not a few very ancient 
monuments, as well as in other situations equally old. A notable use, 
the age of which cannot now be ascertained, though known to be over 
500 years, is upon the gimmal or twin betrothal ring. 



CLASPED HANDS. 75 



"The invention of the gimmal or linked ring gave greater force to 
the betrothal customs. Made with double and sometimes triple 
links which, turned upon a pivot, it could shut into one solid ring. This 
will be better understood by our cut, which represents one of these rings. 
It is shown first as it appears closed; to the sides of each outer loop a 
small hand is attached, each fitting into the other as the hoops are 
brought together, and enclosing a heart affixed to the central notched 
ring. It was customary to break these rings asunder at the betrothal, 
which was ratified in a most solemn manner over the Holy Bible, and 
sometimes in the presence of a witness, when the man and the woman 
broke away the upper and the lower rings from the central link, which 
the witness retained. When the marriage contract was fulfilled at the 
altar, the three portions of the ring were again united, and the ring 
used in the ceremony." (Chambers' Book of Days, I, 220). 

The writer had once the pleasure of examining another form of 
this ring. Its owner claims that it had been in the possession of his 
immediate family over nine generations. Of gold and very heavy, it 
showed little signs of wear, which is accounted for by the fact that it 
was not worn except during the ceremonies of betrothal and marriage. 
This ring is not pivoted together but the three links are interlaced as a 
chain, and are so neatly adjusted that when the hands are engaged 
it requires a little force to open them. 





3o. Interlinked Gimmal Ring. 
A Prototype of the "Three Links." 

The curious combination in this particular ring of the " Three 
Links," the "Heart and Hand," and the "Clasped Hands," would lead 
one to suspect that here we have not only a possible, but a very probable, 
solution of the question, "Where did our forefathers find these three 
emblems." Such rings were very common in the 18th century, and, 



76 CLEOPATRA. 



coupled with the sentiments they were supposed to represent, their 
adaptability for the use in the order would be too patent to pass unnoticed. 
See Hand; Left Hand; Right Hand. 

Clean Hands* Clean hands are a symbol of Purity and Innocence; 
and the washing of the hands is emblematic of internal purification or 
spiritual renewal. The washing of the hands was invariably a part of 
the ceremony of initiation in the ancient mysteries. It was also a 
religious rite. Praying to the gods with unclean hands was considered 
too dangerous to risk. The Jews carried the practice to an extreme, 
and to this day, the orthodox among them will not enter the synagogue, 
or offer up prayers at home without first washing their hands. The 
priests of the temple, on arising in the morning before daylight, always 
bathed, and again, on entering it, those appointed to the service for the 
day, bathed their hands and feet. And yet again, when the watchers on 
the roof of the Temple announced the break of day, the hands and feet 
were washed before the service began. There seemed to be a super- 
stitious dread of ceremonial uncleanness among all classes of Jews, for 
they were constantly washing vessels, as well as their persons. None 
ate without washing the hands, and every guest had his feet washed in 
entering a house, and only naked feet touched the floor, the sandals 
being left at the door. Christ, Himself, when acting as Host at the Last 
Supper, condescended to act the part of a slave, and washed the feet 
of the disciples. When Pilate, having exhausted all his resources up to 
that which would make him liable to Caesar, in the vain endeavor to 
save the life of the Christ, he called for a basin of water and publicly 
washed his hands, as a symbol of his innocency of "this Man's blood." 

In the Eleusinian mysteries, the initiated purified themselves by 
washing their hands in holy water; and were admonished to present 
themselves with minds pure and undefiled. 

In the sense it is used in the past grand's charge, the expression 
" clean hands" is symbolical of a pure soul, untainted with crime or lust. 

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand 
in his holy place ? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart ; who hath 
not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." (Ps. xxiv, 

3-4). 

See Hand; Heart; Heart in Hand. 

Cleopatra* This is the name of several Egyptian princesses of the 
house of the Ptolemies. The one referred to in the Rebekah work was 



COFFIN. 77 

the last queen of Egypt (Born B. C. 69; diedB. C. 30) and was daughter 
Ptolemy of Auletes. For two years she was joint ruler with her brother, 
who expelled her from the kingdom. In 48 B. C. Caesar assisted her in 
regaining her throne, induced thereto by her personal charms and 
active and cultivated mind. With Caesar she spent two years at Rome. 
On his murder she returned to Egypt. Later when Antony was sent 
to the East as governor, she visited him in the most gorgeous and mag- 
nificent manner possible to imagine in a country and an age in which 
spectacular pageantry was not unusual. Captivated by her voluptuous- 
ness, Antony divorced his wife, for a life of sensual pleasure. Octa- 
vianus, his brother-in-law and general of the Roman forces, defeated 
the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium, 
which was decided by the flight of Cleopatra, followed by that of Antony, 
who killed himself on hearing a false report of her death. Cleopatra, 
realizing that the end was near, poisoned herself to avoid being carried 
captive to Rome, where she would have been dragged through the streets at 
the tail of a chariot to exhibit the Roman triumph. The story of the asp is 
discredited by the best authorities, for she was found "dead in all her 
royal ornaments, and with no mark or suspicion of poison on her 
body." A serpent's bite would certainly have greatly disfigured the 
beauty for which she was celebrated and which was the cause of so 
much war, and the loss of life and an empire. 

She is the standard type of voluptuous beauty and profligacy. 

Cltlb* This is not an emblem of Odd-Fellowship. In fact it is 
the opposite; yet as it is used in the work at times, it has its interest. 
It is an emblem of violent death, and, ecclesiastically, a symbol of martyr- 
dom. It is the weapon of savage tribes, and is shown in Heraldry 
sometimes in the hands of one. 

Cockk-ShdL See Scallop-Shell. 

Coffin* One of the emblems of the Degree of Truth, is symbolical 
of mortality. The cofiin and symbolic death appears to have been a 
favorite allegory in the rituals of the ancient mysteries; usually the 
introductory one, for a candidate could not attain the highest secrets 
until he had been placed in a sarcophagus or cofiin. This was the 
symbolic "death" of the mysteries, and the deliverance the "raising 
of the dead." The whole was typical of death and the resurrection, for 
the notion of the resurrection was not confined to Christianty, but 



78 



COLORS. 



obtained among many nations and tribes thousands of years before 
the crucifixion. 

The phrase "to drive a nail in one's coffin" means to do something 
which tends to shorten one's life. In old English the word "coffin" 




31. The Coffin. 

was applied to a basket, and to the crust of a pie, not to the chest used 
for burial purposes. The old word for the burial chest was Coffer. 

Colors* Among all nations of high antiquity colors had practically 
identical significations. This would imply a common origin, and in 
fact many students argue from this that all races, tongues, and creeds 
sprang from a common stock, after that stock had developed a greater 
or lesser degree of intellectual capacity. Intellectual effort is required 
in reasoning out small things as well as large, and the reference of one 
thing to another of entirely different character, as for instance the de- 
velopment of the idea that the color yellow was connected with Deity, 
because yellow was the representative of gold, and gold the emblem 
of the sun, while the sun was the symbol of God himself, is proof suffi- 
cient that while possibly lacking in other respects, the brains of our dis- 
tant ancestors were not idle in reasoning out a system of religion. The 
history of color symbolism is somewhat fragmentary, yet sufficient. is 
known to satisfy the most skeptical that this statement is correct. It 
would appear that color symbolism was first formulated among the 
almost prehistoric nations which preceded the Chaldeans in the valley 



COLORS. 79 

of the Euphrates. From thence it was caried East, West, and North, 
into India, Egypt, Greece, and as far as Scandinavia. The great 
diversity of a color's symbolism, the seeming directly opposed uses 
of a color, would, at first sight, appear to confute this, but when we 
realize that all symbolism sprang from religion, and that all ancient, 
and certainly a few existing religions, have as many as three distinct 
languages these opposed significations are readily understood, and 
cannot be mistaken. It is known for a certainty that the Egyptians 
had three different styles of writing, which were the development of 
but one ; and we find in the history of religions three epochs, marked by 
three languages. These three languages were written in colors as well 
as in words. The divine language was that given to man direct from 
God, and as formal religions under a priesthood apart from the family 
head (the Patriarchal form) became general it was reserved, stored 
away as it were, for the exclusive use of the priests in the innermost 
precincts of the sanctuaries. The consecrated language was used 
in the ceremonies of worship. It regulated everything connected there- 
with, and at the same time confined the divine language under an im- 
penetrable veil. The profane language was the language alone under- 
stood of the people. As the Egyptian writing was hieroglyphic, 
hieratic, or demotic, so was the language of symbolism sacred, con- 
secrated or profane. 

Portal says, "According to symbolism, two principles produce 
all colors, light and darkness. Light is represented by white, and dark- 
ness by black; but light exists but by fire, the symbol of which is red. 
On this basis, symbolism admits two primary colors, red and white. 
Black was considered the negation of all colors, and attributed to the 
spirit of darkness. Red is the symbol of Divine Love; White the 
symbol of Divine Wisdom. From these two attributes of God, love 
and wisdom, the creation of the universe emanates." 

"Secondary colors represent different combinations of the two 
principles. Yellow emanates from red and white. It is the symbol 
of the revelation of the love and wisdom of God. Blue also emanates 
from red and white. It indicates divine wisdom manifested by life, 
by the spirit, or the breath of God (air, azure), and is the symbol of the 
Spirit of Truth. (St. John, xiv, 17, and xvi, 13). Green is formed 
by the union of yellow and blue. It indicates the manifestation of love 
and wisdom in action, and was the symbol of charity, and of the regener- 
ation of the soul by works." 



80 COLUMN. 



"In this system three degrees are recognized: 
i. Existence in itself. 

2. Manifestation of life. 

3. The act which results." 

"In the first degree love rules the desire or the will, marked by the 
red and the white. In the second appears intelligence, speech, or the 
word, designated by yellow and blue. In the third, the realization, or 
the act, finds its symbol in the green color. These three degrees, which 
recall the three operations of the human understanding, the will, the 
judgment and the act, are found in every color." 

"In the symbolism of compound colors, the predominating hue 
gives the general signification, and the subordinate tint the modified 
meaning; consequently, purple, being a red color graduated with blue, 
indicates the love of truth, while hyacinth, being of blue modified by 
red, indicates the truth of love." 

"The great fact of the unity of religion among men is fully proven 
in the significance of symbolic colors, which is the same in every nation 
and in every age. Religion and the symbolism of colors follow in the 
same track. The one is typical of the other. The history of all relig- 
ions recognizes the fall of man; and the three epochs, divine, sacred, 
and profane, are reflected in the triple signification of colors." 

"The language of colors teaches us that the God of Moses was the 
God of the Pharaohs, of the Brahmans, and of the Chaldees. He 
created for happiness, but man forsaking the path marked out for him, 
fell into evil. The redemption of the world became subsequently the 
universal creed. Christianity, hidden or revealed, was the centre of 
every worship before and after God 'was made manifest in the flesh'." 

' 'The unavoidable conclusion is, that Christianity is the consequence 
and bond of all religions, that by the Divine Power the whole world will 
be united in one common brotherhood, and in the preservation of various 
exterior forms the light which emanated from Divine Truth may be 
discerned." 

See the various colors and precious stones. 

Column* In ancient times and apparently wherever man had 
formulated a religion; aside from their structural use in architecture, 
columns were symbolical representations of certain predominant ideas. 
In Egypt, columns in the form of great obelisks represented directly 
the rays of, and thereby carried the mind of the beholder up to, the 



/ 



CORN. 81 

great and life-giving sun (obolus) ; the sun being itself worshipped as a 
representative of "Ra," the father and giver of light and heat. In 
Persia and the far east we find columns set up as phallae, or repre- 
sentatives of the male generative organ. In those countries generation 
was for centuries the basis of religion. Mysterious and wonderful, the 
impossibility of explanation, the regularity with which certain acts 
were followed by additions to the species, all tended to bring out a 
vast amount of mysticism and sophistry that did not fail to attract 
and deceive the comparatively ignorant people of those days. In 
some few cases the columns were fairly good likenesses of what they 
w r ere intended to represent, but oftener they were simply conical in form. 
Columns were much used to commemorate great victories, or momentous 
incidents, as were triumphal arches. It would appear, however, that 
such columns were used, not particularly as monuments themselves, 
but as supports whereon to hang the trophies of victory. 

While columns used as structural supports have rarely been ac- 
corded a symbolic character in themselves, they are almost invariably 
ornamented with symbolic decorations. The so-called Corinthian is 
but an elaborated form of an earlier Egyptian capital, with its orna- 
mentation copied from acacia leaves; so chosen because the acacia was so 
very prolific as to make it extremely noticeable as a representation of 
reproduction. 

With the Hebrews, columns signified princes or nobles — pillars 
of the state. The same idea is expressed to-day when the principle sup- 
porters of a church are spoken of as the pillars of it. 

See Three Pillars. 

Cord* Silver. The Silver Cord is said to be the spinal marrow; 
the Golden Bowl the brain, or, according to some, the whole body of 
man containing the spirit; the Pitcher, the great vein conveying the 
blood to the right ventrical of the heart, which is denoted by the Foun- 
tain; while the Wheel is the great artery receiving the blood from the 
left ventrical. (Eccles. xii, 6). Aben Ezra says that this is a proof 
that the spirit and the Ruach or Gust, ghost, is not an effect of chance, 
for chance returns not. 

See Golden Bowl. 

Corn* This is a general term applied to all cereals known in 
Biblical times. Wheat, barley, oats, spelt, fitches, and millet. Indian 
corn, or maize, was unknown in those days. It is emblematic of plenty, 

6 



82 CORNUCOPIA. 



and when used for purposes of consecration it symbolizes that strength 
which is given by a plenteous supply of what is necessary for sustenance. 
With wine and oil it has been used for such purposes for many cen- 
turies. At Benares, the holy city of India, the pilgrims, to gain "merit," 
circumambulate the place, scattering corn as they go along. The 
circuit is traversed sunwise, that is, they keep the city on their right. 
The custom is in honor of the god Siva. The circuit as made, has a 
solar symbolism, and represents the yearly cycle; the scattered corn 
may possibly typify the food that is annually produced by the 
power of the sun, and scattered over the earth for the good of all 
mankind. 

See Wheat. 

Corner- Stone* In buildings, the stones which lie at the intersec- 
tion of two outer walls are specially selected for size and figure, for 
as the corner is built so must the rest of the building be. The stones of 
the corner, moreover, must, from their very situation, withstand more 
of the varied strains that come upon the building than any other, and 
being at the corner, if they fail in their support, two walls and half 
the whole structure may collapse. In the foundation of a building 
having a continuous periphery some salient point is taken for a start in 
laying out and erecting. This point is invariably the most prominent 
corner, and upon it the best stone is laid. As the level of the foundation 
is reached, a particularly well-formed or specially cut stone is placed, as 
the base from which all other levels and distances are taken. This is 
the "chief corner-stone." In large public and religious buildings, 
the laying of the chief corner-stone is attended with ceremonies, more 
or less elaborate, consecrating it, and through it, the building to which 
it belongs. This is a very ancient custom. That it was practiced by 
the Jews is evidenced by the frequent though indirect references to it 
in the Scriptures. In these references it is used as synonymous with 
foundation, as the Psalmist sings: "The stone which the builder refused 
has become the head stone of the corner." (Ps. cxviii, 22). Isaiah, 
also, used it in this sense. (Is. xxviii, 16). The Church considers these 
references to apply to Jesus Christ, in which it follows St. Peter. 
(1 Peter, ii, 6). 

"Corner-stone" in the past grand's charge is emblematical of 
Fraternity, and is symbolical of stability and strength. 



Cornucopia* See Horn of Plenty. 



CRESCENT. 83 



Corona* Literally crown, which see. This is simply the Greek 
word Kopwua, and is used as a scientific term for most everything 
that is circular in form. In ecclesiastical language, it is the band about 
the lower edge of a mitre, surrounding the wearer's head. Its most 
frequent and general use is to designate a halo or luminous circle about 
one of the heavenly bodies, and specifically the grand blaze of light 
which appears, during a total eclipse of the sun, outside the region 
of colored prominences. The nimbuses (see) about the heads of the 
saints in pictures, were, in olden times, called a corona. 

The symbolism for corona is the same as for crown, which see. 

Covenant Degree. This was the predecessor, in the old work, of 
the present Degree of Friendship. It is a moot question which of the 
two titles is the most indicative of the character and the lessons of the 
work. 

As a type of friendship, the story illustrated is unsurpassed by any, 
while the perfect and lasting agreement, which was the outgrowth of 
that friendship, is also unexcelled in either its comprehensiveness or its 
conciseness. The words are few, yet they bear a world of meaning, 
and can never be forgotten. This is a typical covenant of that rare kind 
where nought is written down, no penalty attached, and yet continues 
after death, with conscience the only surety. It is a covenant analogous 
to that in which God bound himself when he set the rain-bow in the sky 
as a token of an everlasting friendship. 

See Mephibosheth. 

Crescent* Under the name of crescent, the moon appears only in 
the Encampment work, though it is represented as a crescent in the 
Rebekah emblem and the jewels of D. G. Masters. With the Tables of 
Stone and the Cross, the crescent is symbolical of that toleration of 
creeds, which is one of the inherent tenets of the Order, and wherein it is 
the representative of the Moslem faith. 

Like many other emblems, the crescent was originally used as such 
by the old pagans. It was particularly the emblem of Diana, the god- 
dess of the moon. It is said that when Philip, the father of Alexander 
the Great, was besieging the city of Byzantium, in the fourth century 
before the Christian era, the sudden appearance of the moon from 
behind a cloud betrayed the details of an intended assault; and the 
citizens, grateful for their deliverance, erected a statue to Diana, and 
took her symbol, the crescent-moon, for their device. When the Turks 



84 CROOK. 

took the city in the fifteenth century, A. D., they found this device still in 
use, and in turn adopted it, and it remains to this day the symbol of the 
city and of Turkish sway. (Hulme). 

As the Turk is the dominant figure in Moslemism, his symbol is 
used as the emblem of his faith. 

The crescent is often found upon ancient coins, and usually ac- 
companied by a star which is representative of the sun. They here 
symbolize the great powers of nature, heat and moisture. 

In Heraldry the moon is almost invariably displayed as a crescent, 
and with the horns turned upward. 

See Moon; Moon and Seven Stars; Tables oj Stone; Cross. 

Crests See Seal of the Sovereign Grand Lodge. 

Crook* For ages the crook has been the staff of the shepherd of the 
Orient, where flocks, ranging over rocky and precipitous hills, make it 
necessary. In countries where fences prevent the straying of the flock, 
the ideal shepherd is unknown, and such staffs are lacking, as well as on 
the pastures of level countries. The peculiar curve, at the head of the 
crook, is to reach after, and draw back to safety, animals in dangerous 
places. In the "Land of the Book" the crook was an essential accom- 
paniment of the shepherd; hence it early became the emblem of a pastoral 
life. 




2,2. The Crook. 

The Patriarchal Degrees being founded upon a shepherd's life, the 
crook was naturally taken as the symbol of watchful care. 

In pagan art, the pedum, or pastoral staff, was the symbol of attrac- 
tion. It appears in English Heraldry usually on the arms of a bishop, 
or the descendent of a bishop. The early Christians adopted it as an 
emblem of Christ, the Good Shepherd. It soon became the distinctive 
emblem of the bishops, by whom it is borne in holy ceremonies. In the 
first prayer-book of Edward VI is given this form of presentation of the 
pastoral staff to a bishop — "Be to the flock of Christ a shepherd, not a 



CROSS. 85 

wolf, feed them, devour them not : Hold up the weak, heal the sick, bind 
together the broken, bring again the outcasts, seek the lost." How well 
this adjuration accords with the teachings of the Encampment! It 
represents, not merely the instrument whereby the shepherd directs his 
flock in its migrations, and protects his sheep from the wolves, but that 
higher reality of which the shepherd's crook is but an emblem — the 
guiding wisdom and protecting power of the Great Shepherd, who 
has led and defended us that we, in turn, might be good shepherds unto 
all those placed under our care, or control and influence. (Grosh, O. F. 
Imp. Man. 1868). 

Cross* As a religious symbol, some form of the figure known as the 
cross has been in use since history began. There are four principal 
forms of crosses; the Latin cross, or crux immissa or capitata, in which 
the transverse beam is shorter than the upright, and is placed above the 
center of it; the cross of St. Andrew, or crux decussata, made in the form 
of an X ; the cross of St. Anthony, or crux commissa, in the form of a T, 
and usually termed a tau cross; and the Greek cross, in which both 
upright and transverse beams are of the same length. There are many 
modifications of these forms, invented for special purposes, in ecclesias- 
tical, hierarchic, and similar use. 

The most ancient form of which we have definite knowledge is 
that of the Egyptian Ankh, or crux ansata. This is much the same as 
the one now known as the tau, or St. Anthony's cross. The ankh, some- 
times called the key of the Nile, is a cross of three arms with a ring or 



* 



handle at the top, asT . It is held by the ring in the hand of almost 

every divinity depicted upon the walls of ancient Egypt, and indicates 
the Eternity of Life which is attribute of Deity. The Greeks adopted it 
in a similar sense, but omitted the handle ring. The early Christians of 
Egypt also used it at first, instead of other forms. Being taught that 
Christ was hanged upon a cross, and this being the only one with which 
they were familiar, this was quite natural. The Rev. Baring-Gould 
says, "Several theories have been started to account for the shape. The 
Phallic theory is monstrous, and devoid of evidence. It has also been 
suggested that the tau (T) represents an altar or table, and that the 
loop symbolizes a vase or an egg upon that altar." "These explana- 
tions are untenable when brought into contact with the monuments of 



86 CROSS. 

Egypt. The ovoid form of the upper member is certainly a handle, and 
is so used. No one knows, and probably no one ever will know, what 
originated the use of this sign, and gave it such significance." (Cur. 
Myths). 

The ankh was also a sacred emblem of the Babylonians. It occurs 
repeatedly on their cylinders, bricks, and gems. 

There is another Egyptian cross, similar in form to a Latin rising 
out of a heart, like the mediaeval emblem of "Cor. in Cruce, Crux in 
Corde." It is the hieroglyph for goodness. 

The T or tau cross is frequently termed the "anticipatory or type 
cross" from the confusion of the Greek letter tau (r) with the Hebrew 
letter tav (£)) which has the same phonetic value, and which was used 
to signify an instrument for the same purpose, namely, capital punish- 
ment. As this tav (ft) in its written form has no resemblance to the 
tau (r), in their endeavor to prove something, the authors of the idea 
of "anticipatory or type," went back to the archaic Hebrew and found 
that tav originally, had the form of X. How they could harmonize 
this X with r, is difficult indeed, to understand. As an argument for 
this, they offer Ezekiel, ix, 4 : " Go through the midst of the city, and set 
a 'mark' upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for the 
abominations that be done in the midst thereof." Such a mark would 
naturally be an X or +; just such a figure as the archaic tav, and not r. 
It is also pretended that the same mark was used upon the door-posts 
and lintels of the houses of the Israelites, at the first Passover. Exodus 
xii, 8. In this instance one would doubt the X mark, yet would readily 
perceive the modern form of tav in the two posts and the lintel. In 
using a bunch of hyssop for a brush it would be very difficult to make a 
distinct cross upon a narrow beam, while a dash down each post and 
along the lintel would correctly outline the form of a cross which there 
are strong reasons to suppose was used in the case of the hanging of the 
seven sons of Saul; sons by his concubines Rispah and Michal. See 
2 Samuel xxi, 8-1 1, wherein it is said, "all seven fell together." Why 
the tau should be preferred as the anticipatory or type, simply because 
of the phonetic value of two letters in different alphabets, is incon- 
ceivable, when one can see a nearer approach to the passion cross in the 
very instances cited in support. The mark upon the forehead ; the same 
supposed mark upon the lintels and the posts; the appearance of the 
faggots carried upon Isaac's shoulders (if they were laid upon both they 
crossed behind his head), which caused the angel of the Lord to restrain 



CROSS. 



87 



Abraham, and provide a ram, would all indicate a type of which the 
archaic tav would be the exponent. 




34- 



Tau Cross. 



The tau cross was also used by the Druids of Gaul and Brittany in 
their religious rites. As far as known, however, it was a rather crude 
affair, being simply a timber hanged across the crotch of a tree. The 
tau cross of the Scandinavians is not a cross at all, but the hammer of 
Thor, their god of thunder, and with which he destroyed his enemies. 
"It is curious that the r should have been used on the roll of the Roman 
soldiery as the sign of life, whilst the 6 designated death." (Baring- 
Gould, Cur. Myths). 



+ 



35- 



Fylfot or Swastika. 



There is an East Indian form of the cross called swastika. This 
is a frequent ornament upon the Eastern temples. The word is of 
Sanscrit origin and signifies happiness, well-being, or good-luck. It 
is from the roots su, good, and asti, being, with the suffix ka. No one 
knows when, where, nor how it originated. Neither students nor anti- 
quaries are able to throw any satisfactory light upon the subject. Long 
before history this emblem was used throughout the world. It is 
found among the remains of every ancient people, in both hemispheres, 
in the land of the midnight sun, as well as at the Equator. 

In the particular form shown above, and known as the fylfot, the 
swastika was used by the early Christians, and from its resemblance 



88 



CROSS. 



to two rough S's or Z's, crossing each other, — S and Z in old writing 
being often interchangeable — it is supposed that it was, probably, the 
cross represented as Signum, the sign, i. e. of faith in Chirst. In the 
use of this figure the Christians adopted for their own purposes the 




36. Passion or Latin Cross. 

symbol of earlier and pagan times. According to Max Miiller it is an 
abbreviated emblem of the solar wheel, with spokes in it, the tire and the 
movement being indicated by the "crampons." 



Pill 


■mil 


■m\ 


11111111 


llliiii 1 


■III! 



37. Cross of Calvary. 

The Latin and the Greek crosses were at first used indiscriminately, 
and both forms are found in the catacombs. Later the Latin became 
the one most used. This is also termed the "Passion Cross," as it is 



CROSS. 



89 



the supposed form upon which Christ suffered. When this cross is 
shown mounted upon steps, it becomes the cross of Calvary. The 
Christian history of this cross is too well known to give it space here. 
There is, however, a representation of this cross, which has defied the 
efforts of archaeologists for the past seventy years to determine its 




38. Ancient Mexican Altar Piece. 

Showing a cross of beautiful design. Found in the ruins of a prehistoric 
city near Palenques, Mexico, in 1837, by Mr. John L. Stevens. 

origin and its meaning. At Palenque, in the province of Chiapas, 
Mexico, there are ruins of a large city. These ruins lay concealed in 
the depths of a vast and almost impenetrable forest. Cortez, the Span- 
iard, in his invasion of Mexico, in 15 19, must have passed within 20 or 
30 miles of this city. "If it had been a living city at the time, its fame 



90 



CROSS. 



would certainly have reached his ears, and he would have turned aside 
from his road and plundered it. It seems, therefore, but reasonable to 
suppose that it was at that time desolate and in ruins, and even the 
memory of it lost." (Stephens, Cent. Am., Chi., & Yuc. II, 357). 
Mr. Catherwood, who accompanied Mr. Stephens on a visit to the 




39- 



Patriarchal Cross. 



ruins in 1839, made a most beautiful drawing of this cross, a reduced 
copy of which is here given. The priest on the right holds an infant 
in his hands, but whether as a sacrifice or for consecration is not known. 
At the top of the cross upon which our Savior suffered, was nailed a 
scroll bearing an inscription, and suggested by this, the Latin Cross 




40. Pontifical Cross. 



has frequently an added transom. This is the Cross of Lorraine, and 
of the Knights Hospitaller. Being borne by a patriarch of the Roman 
Church, it is better known by the name of Patriarchal. Further modi- 
fied by the addition of a third transom, it is borne before the Pope, and 



CROSS. 91 

hence called the Pontifical or Papal Cross. The middle transom is 
somewhat longer than the others. The lower transom is said to repre- 
sent the block that supported the body of the sufferer, so that his weight 
would not tear his hands loose from the torturing nails. This cross is 
also at times called the Cross of Salem. Salem was an ancient name for 
Jerusalem. 




41. St. Andrew's Cross. 

The Diagonal Cross, called St. Andrew's, as it is the form upon 
which that saint is believed to have suffered, is called, in heraldry, a 
Saltier. It appears in the union of the British flag as the emblem of 
Scotland, St. Andrew being the patron saint of the Scot. 




42. Greek Cross. 

The Greek Cross, or that of equal arms, is the idealized form of the 
cross, the Romans being an essentially matter of fact people, and the 
Greeks an equally essentially artistic and poetic race. (Hulme). 

The Maltese Cross is one of eight points. The example given was 
drawn from the portrait of Phillippe de Villiers de LTsle Adam, forty- 
third Grand Master of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, A. D. 1521. 
The picture is in the possession of the Earl of Clarendon. The Knights 
of St. John of Jerusalem were at various times entitled Knights Hos- 
pitallers, Knights of Rhodes, and lastly, Knights of Malta. 

The Cross Pattee so often seen in ecclesiastical work, both in archi- 
tecture and in books, is frequently and mistakenly called a Maltese. 



92 



CROSS. 



The Cross Pattee was the badge of the Knights Templar, almost from 
the institution of that order of crusading soldiers, and was conferred 
upon them by Pope Eugenius III, probably about the year 1147, as a 
symbol of martyrdom, to which they were constantly exposed. 




43. Maltese Cross. 

The Labarum of Constantine is not a cross, though often accepted 
as such, and is always classed as a symbol with the crosses. It is a 
monogram of the word Christ, using the first letters of the Greek word, 




44. Cross Pattee. 

When made of Metal, the cross frequently has five carbuncles, or 
rubies, set in it; one at the extremity of each arm, and one in the center. 
These jewels represent the five wounds of Christ. 

At the present day the cross is found in use by the red men of South- 
western United States. Not as a Christian symbol, yet withal a religious 
one. Upon the surface it appears simply as a symbol of the four winds, 
but the underlying religious significance is not difficult to understand. 
The American Indian, like all other people who live near to nature, 
personifies all objects and impressions, giving them a spirit, if, indeed, 



CROSS-BONES. 



93 



not endowing them with imaginary physical form. The Navajos are 
particularly happy in depicting with colored sand their many symbolic 
ideas. Mr. J. Stevenson (Bu. Eth., Reps. 1886-7), presents a most 
beautiful cross, among other emblems. It is of the Greek type, that is, 
having equal arms. There is a blue spot for a center. The four arms 
were laid out according to the cardinal points, in heavy black lines, 
which represent pine logs. A narrow line of white borders, these to 
represent the froth of water, while another of yellow denotes vegetable 
debris, gathered by the logs. Outside these are yet two other lines of 
red and blue to indicate sunbeams. Four gods, Hostjoboken, and 
four goddesses, Hostjoboard, sit, a pair upon each arm of the cross. 




45. Lab arum. 



The gods carry rattles in their right hands, and sprigs of pinon in their 
left, while the goddesses carry pinon sprigs in both hands. The design 
is to symbolize that the rattle brings male rains, and the pinon female 
rains; these rains meet upon the earth, conceive, and bring forth all 
vegetation. 

"The shamrock of Ireland derives its sacred character from its 
resemblance to the form of a cross. In the mysticism of the Druids 
the stalk or long arm of the cross represented the way of life, and the 
lobes of the cloverleaf, or the short arms of the cross, symbolized the 
three conditions of the spirit world, Heaven, Purgatory and Hell." 
(Baring-Gould). 

Cross-bones* One of the numerous emblems of death. The thigh 
bones are usually indicated, probably because of their more marked 



94 



CROWN. 



form. Beside being a symbol of death, it was also regarded, when 
used upon monuments, as signifying that the departed had passed to 
heaven. 




46. Cross-bones. 

The English family, Newton, bore for their arms: "Sable, two 
shinbones, saltierwise, the sinister surmounted by the dexter, argent. 
See Skull and Cross-bones. 

Cross-keys, See Keys. 

Cross-pens. See Pen. 

Crown* The crown is significant primarily of power, of sovereignty. 
It may also be commemorative of acts of valor, of specific triumph, or 
of feats of strength. Hence the many forms and characteristics which 
it assumes. Evidently this ornament or headdress is an evolution of 
the fillet, the cord or thong of leather tied about the head to prevent 
the dishevelment of the hair, or as shown by the Bedouins, to retain 




47. Antique Crown. 

their kefifieh or head kerchief in place. This fillet gradually developed 
by ornamentation of precious metals and gems until it assumed the 
form now known as a crown. In the form of an ornamental fillet 
it was worn by both the high and ordinary priests of the Jews. The 
first mention of the crown in Holy Writ is in 2 Samuel i, 10, where 



CROWN. 



95 



the Amelekite brings Saul's crown to David. It is doubtful, however, 
that this was other than a richly decorated and bejeweled turban. If 
it was a crown proper, it was most likely of the form called the "An- 
tique" or Eastern crown. This is a band having numerous and rather 
high projecting points or rays. This is sometimes called a "radiated 
crown." The ancient kings who wore this type of crown were con- 
sidered to be the personification of the sun considered as the symbol 
of the deity. The tall spikes represented the rays of the sun. Many 
ancient coins show this detail placed upon the heads of personages, 
whom it is almost certain never wore it in life, as an indication of deifi- 
cation. 




48. Atef Crown. 



The Atef, Crown, which was more of a headdress than a crown, is 
regularly represented upon the heads of the Egyptian gods Knum and 
Osiris, and sometimes on those of other deities. It consisted of a tall 
white conical cap, flanked on either side by an ostrich feather. It also 
bears the solar disc, and the uraeus (serpent). As a whole, it is emblem- 
atic of the wearer's sovereignty under the attributes of light, truth and 
divinity. 



96 



CROWN. 



The Celestial Crown is similar to the Antique, but has the spikes 
tipped with stars of pearl. This is essentially an ecclesiastical symbol, 
and indicates the reward of the especially good. It is frequently seen 




49. Celestial Crown. 

in conventional pictures of the Holy Mother and other saints, held 
above their heads by angels. This crown is displayed upon the arms 
of the See of St. Albans, surmounting a sword. The whole emblazon- 




50. Shield of St. Albans. 



ment signifies that the great proto-martyr, slain by the sword for his 
steadfast faith in the cross, has received the reward of a Celestial Crown. 
The Civic Crown of ancient times, was a garland or wreath of 
oak-leaves bestowed upon a soldier who saved the life of a citizen. 



CROWN. 



97 



The Ducal Crown is a conventionalized form of a monarchical 
crown, and is the one used in the emblems of the Patriarchs Militant. 




51. Ducal Crown. 

When not specifically described otherwise, it is the one displayed in 
Heraldry. 




52. Mural Crown. 

The Mural Crown is one representing a tower, and was conferred 
upon the commander who captured a castle or walled town. On the 
same principle, the Naval Crown, which consisted of a band surmounted 




53. Naval Crown. 

by alternate representations of the sterns and mainsails of ships, was 
conferred upon successful naval commanders. 

The Obsidional Crown, of grasses and wild flowers, was bestowed 
upon him who held out against or raised a siege. 

The Papal Crown, or Tiara, a very peculiar affair, is a rather high 
cylinder, drawn to a point at the top, encircled by three distinct crowns, 
7 



98 CUBE. 

and surmounted with the mound (globe) and cross of sovereignty. It 
has been held that the three crowns refer to the Trinity, but this can 
hardly be the case, as the second was placed upon it in A. D., 1295, 
long after the date of the placing of the first was forgotten. The third 
did not appear until as late as A. D., 1334. They are considered now, 
to denote the three-fold royalty of the pope; "one being the symbol of 
his temporal power over the Roman states, another his spiritual power 
over the souls of men, and the third assumed as the ruler over all the 
kings and potentates of Christendom. A third explanation is, that the 
three crowns denote the lordship claimed by the papacy over Heaven 
and earth, and purgatory." (Hulme). 




54. Crown Vallary. 

The Crown Vallary, consisting of a band of gold having palisades 
riveted to the rim and rising above it, was bestowed upon the soldier 
who first mounted a stockade and forced an entrance into the enemy's 
camp. 

Crowns or wreaths of bay or wild olive leaves were given to the 
victors in the Olympian games. 

In ecclesiastical art, a crown at the feet of a martyr signifies that he 
was a king who gave up his kingdom for Jesus Christ's sake. If the 
crown is worn upon the head, it is a sign that he was still a king at 
the time of his death. 

See Globe; Ostrich Feather; Serpent; Sun. 

Cube. While there is no direct reference to the cube in the work 
of Oddfellowship, it does bear some little relation to it, inasmuch as 
Oddfellowship is a type of the pseudo-religious fraternities of old. In 
a measure the cube is the symbolic form of the lodge, as in ancient 
times it was the symbolic, if not the actual, form of the temples. "Akman 
denotes a 'stone,' as well as 'heaven,' in which case it is evident that the 
stone is a symbol of heaven. But a rough, unhewn stone would never 



"D." 99 

be taken as such symbol; hence it is almost necessary to conceive an 

eight-cornered stone Finally we are to consider 

here that an inclosed cubical space, like the stone dressed in this form, 
usually represents heaven in ancient architecture." (Rev. O. D. 
Miller, Har. p. 75.) The Assyrian temples, as at Birs-i-Nimrud, were 
in seven stages, quadrangular in plan, and each somewhat smaller than 
the next below it. At the top was placed the sanctuary, which was 
invariably a cube. This same idea was doubtless dominant in the 
design of the Tabernacle, in which the Holy of Holies formed a perfect 
cube; being ten cubits in length, breadth, and height. The sanctuary 
of Solomon's temple was like unto it, but of double the dimensions, 



55. Eight-cornered Stone. 

and the New Jerusalem promised in the Apocalypse, is equal in length, 
breadth and height. "For the superior sanctuary of a cubical form 
representing heaven, and constituting the eighth stage of the pyramid, 
the tabernacle substituted the Holy of Holies, also of cubical form, 
representing the celestial region." (Ibid, p. 141.) 

The holy house at Mecca is known from its shape as the Kaaba, 
or Cube. This house contains the famous black stone said to have 
fallen from heaven. It is very possible that it is an aerolite, but there 
is so much dirt adhering to it that it is difficult to determine its actual 
character. Portal says: "The cube was, like white color, the symbol 
of truth, of wisdom and of moral perfection." 

See Tabernacle; Eight. 

Cymbals, Tinkling* See Brass, Sounding. 

"D" is the fourth letter of the English alphabet and it has its 
phonetic equivalent in nearly all alphabets. As a numeral in the 
Roman system, D stands for 500. The Hebrew % daleth, has the 

LLofC. 



100 DARKNESS. 



significance of door, and its numerical value is 4, while the divine name 
of which it is the initial is 7^1 > Daghul, Insignis. 

Dais* A platform or elevated floor at the end or side of an assembly 
hall or reception room, upon which are seats for distinguished persons, 
or the chief of the company; particularly, such a platform covered with 
a canopy. In the meeting room of a fraternity it is the station of the 
presiding officer. It is an attribute of rank, power and authority. 

Ofttimes the lodge room is likened to a ship, the members present 
being the crew, the presiding officer the captain; then the dais becomes 
the quarter deck, and it is as rigidly reserved for his sole use as is the 
quarterdeck of a man-o'-war for its captain. In some places reference 
is made to "the dais," instead of to "the chair," as is the commoner 
expression. This is to express the impersonality of an unbiased 
presiding officer. 

Dan* The eighth son of Jacob (Israel). The word means a 
judge, and his father so called him in his death-bed blessing, yet added 
the further title of the "serpent." "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, 
an adder in the path that biteth at the horse's heels, so that his rider 
shall fall backward." (Genesis xlix, 17). 

Darkness* "In the beginning God created the heaven and the 
earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was 
upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face 
of the waters." (Genesis). "God created the universe in His love, 
and ordered it by His wisdom. In all cosmogonies, divine wisdom, 
eternal light, subdues primitive darkness, and makes the world issue 
from the bosom of chaos. Genesis assigns to light and to darkness a 
separate empire. The ancient Persians attached every idea of the 
good and the beautiful to the first principle, and of evil and disorder 
to the second. This dualism is found in every religion, according to an 
observation of Plutarch, confirmed by the discoveries of science. The 
Persians named the one Ormuzd and the other Ahriman." 

"Ormuzd," says the Zent-A vesta, " is raised above all. He was 
with sovereign knowledge, with purity, in the light of the world. This 
throne of light, this place inhabited by Ormuzd, is that which is called 
primitive light. Ahriman was in his darkness with his law, and the 
dark place which he inhabited is that which is called primitive darkness. 
He was alone in the midst of them, — he who is called the wicked." 



DAVID. 101 

"These two principles, isolated in the bosom of the boundless 
abyss, unite themselves, create the world, and then their powers received 
limits." 

" China adopts the doctrine of Persia, or the combat of the good 
and evil genii, of light and darkness, of hot and cold, and reproduces 
it under the names of perfect and imperfect matter." 

"The Scandinavians revived this doctrine in the Eddas: "in the 
beginning there was neither heaven nor earth, nor waters, but the open 
abyss; to the north of the abyss was the world of darkness, and in the 
south the world of fire." (Portal). 

Atjtcd, Leto, in Greek mythology, was a personification of the night, 
and the primeval darkness that preceded the creation, and the mother 
by Zeus, of Apollo and Artemis, the twin deities of light. She is usually 
represented in ancient art as a large and comely woman with a vail 
upon her head. In paintings this vail is always black. In gems, the 
artists always availed themselves of a dark streak in the stone for the 
purpose. God, Himself, is spoken of as being encompassed round 
about with darkness, and from which He spoke. Ex. xx, 21; i Kings 
viii, 12. Mayhap it was the darkness in which the children of Adam 
were enfolded, preventing their seeing the light. May not this have 
been the same darkness that attended the crucifixion? 

Frequently darkness is used figuratively, for ignorance and unbe- 
lief in antithesis to "light." John i, 5; iii, 19. As a symbol of ignor- 
ance and doubt, darkness has been used in all systems of initiations 
into mysteries, either practically or by blindfolding. Opposed to this 
is light. Hence it is the rule that the candidate shall not see until 
he fully grasps the nature of the allegories in which he is a passive par- 
ticipant. The duration of this darkness varied in the different mysteries. 
Among the Druids, nine days were sufficient; in the Greek mysteries, 
twenty-seven days were required; while the Persian magi were content 
with no less than fifty days and nights of darkness, solitude and fasting. 

Oddfellowship makes use of symbolic darkness, as being the best 
possible condition for a state of preparation; the mind being more 
receptive, and the other senses more alert, when the eyes of the candi- 
date are closed. 

See Black) Blindfold) White. 

David* Son of Jesse, slayer of Goliath, minstrel and son-in-law 
to King Saul, general in Saul's army, the friend and beloved of Jonathan, 



102 DEATH. 

the anointed of the Lord, king of Israel. Space cannot be spared here 
for his story so replete with interest and importance in its relations to 
Israel and the world at large. Hardly one of the many incidents of 
his life as recorded in the books of Ruth, I and II Kings, and I Chron- 
icles, but has some bearing upon the world's history, through Israel and 
the God-man, the Messiah who came of his line. 

With all his advantages and glories, and in a way his capabilities 
as a leader, it would yet appear that he was something of a coward at 
heart. It required but a little courage for him to stand at a distance 
and hurl defiance and a stone at the giant. Realizing that he himself 
was young, light, nimble, quick, and unencumbered with heavy armor, 
he advanced boldly to striking distance, which might be anything 
within a hundred yards, with nothing to fear from the lumbering and 
heavily armored opponent. If he missed he would have a good start 
and could readily escape. Again in the height of his power, he was 
afraid to meet Uriah, whose wife he had seduced, and had him put in 
the lead of a forlorn hope. And Uriah never returned. Yet again 
we find him fleeing from his palace, for fear of his son Absalom, who 
had rebelled and sought the crown. 

Withal, however, he was the ideal king of Israel, the exemplar, the 
standard by which all his successors were gauged, and the prototype 
of that perfect King of the Jews, the Savior, who was not only called 
the son of David, but at times simply " David." 

In connection with Jonathan, David is the type of a "Deathless 
Friendship. ' ' 

Death* From time immemorial there appears to have been a 
belief in the resurrection of the dead. Even though many writers, all 
along the ages, have advocated the idea that death was annihilation, 
yet man, in general, clung tenaciously to the notion of a continuance 
of life in some condition, and all forms of the ancient mysteries, knowl- 
edge of which has come down to us, set forth in some manner, the 
conception of immortality. This was done by causing the candidate 
to pass through an initiatory ceremony, wherein death was first brought 
strongly to his attention, followed by a development of the idea, in 
bright and pleasant exercises. In some cases the neophyte was encased 
in burial wrappings and deposited in a tomb, from which he was "resur- 
rected," and instructed by further practical illustrations in immor- 
tality. Other forms simply exhibited the symbols of death. All, how- 



DEGREE OF REMEMBRANCE. 103 

ever, conveyed the doctrine of immortality, whatever the peculiar 
conceptions of that state might be, which were as various as the many 
different religious beliefs. 

The Christian church, up to a very late day, placed the various 
emblems of death in close proximity to those of celestial import. 
The religious writings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries 
teemed with the weakness, sinfulness and misery of man, and "fiery 
denunciations and glowing descriptions of the torments of the unre- 
generate," were hurled at him; while, to keep him well in mind of 
the horrors to be expected, death's-heads and cross-bones, and like 
objects were placed at every point controlled by the priesthood. As 
if this were not enough, the churches had elaborate paintings repre- 
senting death in the form of a skeleton busy at his work. One such 
picture represents upon a battlefield, a soldier, with sword uplifted to 
strike an enemy, being run through from the back with a spear in the 
hands of death. In another, death leads a wealthy lady aside from a 
group of pleasure seekers, and shows her that her next step is into the 
grave. In yet another, the student, poring over his books, i s mocked 
by the gift of the elixir of life at the hands of death. There are several 
illustrations still to be seen in Europe of the "Dance of Death." The 
most noted of these is the one by Hans Holbein, painter to Henry VIII, 
of England. Death is shown, with violin in hand, gaily leading a 
whirl of mad dancers to their destruction. 

In Scandinavian mythology, death was personified by an ogress 
called Hel. Her abode was supposed to be beneath the great tree 
Ygdrasil, and is thus described in the later Edda: "Her hall is called 
Eljudnir; her plate, famine; her knife, hunger; her thrall, lazy-goer; 
her bondswomen, idlers; her threshold, stumbling-block; her bed is 
the couch of one bedridden; her bed hangings, the glittering evil." 
(Du Chaillu, Vik. Age, I, p. 33.) 

Deborah* A prophetess who judged Israel. Her story is related 
in Judges iv, 48. She was by virtue of her inspirations "a mother in 
Israel." 

Decalogue* See Table oj Stone. 

Degree of Brotherly Love. See Brotherly Love, Degree of. 

Degree of Friendship* See Covenant Degree. 

Degree of Remembrance* See Remembrance, Degree of. 



104 DIAMOND. 



Degree of Truth* See Truth, Degree of. 

Device* A term often used in Heraldry, meaning "heraldric 
representation." This is scarcely exact, as it is too comprehensive. 
The Century Dictionary says: "It differs from the badge, or cognizance, 
in not being necessarily public and used for recognition, although the 
device or part of it was often used as a cognizance.' ' It is the repre- 
sentation of some object or objects, usually accompanied by a motto. 
Frequently it contains a rebus or puzzle, or has an allusion to some 
event in the bearer's life, or that of his forbears. Otherwise it is emble- 
matic. For example, the device of a sword signifies honor; of an eagle, 
royalty; of a lion, courage; of an oak, strength. 

Diamond* Heb. Q^rp> yaholom. The diamond is named in 
the authorized version of the Bible, as being the third in the first row 
of jewels upon the highpriest's breast-plate. It is very doubtful, that 
the diamond is meant by the Hebrew word. Jasper is now accepted 
as the proper translation of yaholom. Both pearls and rubies are classed 
above diamonds. The word diamond was derived from the Greek 
word for unconquerable, because of its hardness, or the supposed 
inability of fire to melt it. But if adamus does mean invincible, the 
older account tells that it was not so named from its resistance to fire, 
or to the anvil, but from the inability of the gods to resist any suppli- 
cant who carried it with him. The Greek myth is as follows: Adamus 
was the name of a Cretan youth, who, for his careful attendance upon 
Zeus, was transformed into a beautiful stone, and also placed among 
the stars, as were the nymphs and goats, who helped to rear that great 
deity in his infancy. 

Sir John Mandeville, writing in 1356, says: "He who carries the 
diamond upon him, it gives him hardness and manhood, and it keeps 
the limbs of his body whole. It gives him victory over his enemies, 
in court and in war, if his cause be just, and it keeps him that bears 
it in good wit, and it keeps him from strife and riot, from sorrows and 
enchantments, from fantasies and illusions of evil spirits. And if any 
cursed witch, or enchanter, would bewitch him that bears it, all that 
sorrow and mischance shall return to the offender, through the virtue 
of that stone; and also no wild beast dare assail the man who bears it 
on him. It makes a man stronger and firmer against his enemies; 
heals him that is lunatic, and those whom the fiend pursues or torments. 
And if venom be brought in presence of the diamond, anon it begins 



DOVE. 



105 



to grow moist. Nevertheless it happens often that the good diamond 
looses its virtue by sin, and for incontinence of him that bears it, and 
hen it is of little value." 

Portal in his work on color symbolism recognizes three significa- 
tions according to the degree of light. "In the first degree, white light 
will denote Divine Wisdom, which is goodness itself; in the second degree 
the diamond will be the symbol of spiritual wisdom, which possesses 
the interior intellect of the Divinity; and lastly, in the third degree, the 
white and opaque stone, and the vestments of linen, will signify natural 
wisdom, or external faith, which produces works." 

In Heraldry, sable or black was blazoned diamond. 

The Mohamedans believe that their Prophet, on his journey 
through the heavens to reach the throne of God, found the fifth heaven 
was of diamond, wherein dwelt Moses, with whom he had an interview. 

The diamond, says superstition, calms anger, binds the married 
in union, and is called the stone of reconciliation. "Wisdom, inno- 
cence and faith, indicated by the whiteness and purity of this stone, 
appease anger, bind conjugal affections, and reconcile man with God, 
and is the symbol of constancy, of power, of innocence, and other 
heroic virtues." (Noel, Diet, de la Fable). 

The diamond is the proper jewel for the month of April. 

See Adamant; Breast-Plate. 




56. Conventional Symbolic Dove. 



Dove* In antiquity this beautiful bird was considered an emblem 
of "purity and innocence, and, as such, it is held to this day. In Christian 



106 



E." 



art it "is the emblem of the soul when represented as issuing from the 
mouth of the dying; an emblem of purity when given to the Virgin and 
certain female saints; and also the symbol of the Holy Ghost and of 
spiritual inspiration." As the symbol of the Holy Ghost, it is invari- 
ably represented as descending or "hovering." That is, with wings 
outspread and head downwards. As an emblem, its head is often sur- 
rounded by a nimbus, but it is frequently entirely surrounded by an 
aureole. "Doves in the Bible are generally spoken of in significance 
of gentleness, innocence and faithfulness. In the catacombs of Rome, 
doves figure largely as emblems of believers. As significant of conjugal 
affection, two are sometimes placed together." (Hulme). 

The dove bearing an olive branch in its beak signifies deliverance, 
prosperity and peace, and is a reminder of the recession of the waters 
of the deluge, the preservation of life in the ark, and the covenant 




57. The Dove with Olive Branch. 



between God and man, wherein God promised man never again to des- 
troy the earth with water, and as a token, He set the rainbow in the 
sky. The dove with its olive branch is a most appropriate emblem 
of that branch of the Order of which it is so beautiful a type, in its 
innocence, gentleness, purity, and weakness. 

The dove was the only species of bird permitted to be sacrificed 
upon the Jewish altars. The Egyptians also sacrificed doves, but did 
not hesitate to offer up ducks, geese and wild water fowl as well. 

"E t " Hebrew |"|> He. The fifth letter in the English and Greco- 
Roman alphabets, as well as in the Phenician and Hebrew. In the 



EAGLE. 107 

Roman system of numerals E represents 250, while f} stands for 5. The 
very similar Hebrew letter f|> Cheth, has the value of 8, but its phonetic 
value is that of the German ch. The Hebrew letter as well as its 
Phenician equivalent signifies window. He is also the initial of the 
fifth name of God; *Ynn> Hadour, Firmosus, Majestuosus. 

T 

Eagle* The great bird of freedom appears only upon the jewels 
of the Grand Sire and the Deputy Grand Sire, and a few old charters 
to Grand Lodges. It is very fitting that these offices, the highest in 
the Order, should be ensigned with the seal of the United States. The 
Jewel is the seal, of gold, with the addition of a broad border of silver. 
The dominant device upon the seal is the eagle. And here again, those 
worthy Fathers of the Order builded better than they knew. Hardly 
one of the representatives who legislated for this jewel lived to see the 
progeny of that No. 1, Washington's Lodge, develop through the 
Grand Lodge of Maryland and the United States and the Grand Lodge 
of the United States into the Sovereign Grand Lodge. 

It was a significant act, this placing of the eagle, the bird of Jupiter, 
the symbol of creation, preservation and destruction, and of sovereignty 
and power, in the hands of those whose duty it is to execute the laws 
of that grand body, constituted and empowered by the united desires of 
a million of intelligent members, to control the destinies of the greatest 
exponent on earth of the principles of fraternity. That the Grand 
Lodge of the United States should have placed the arms of the United 
States of America upon the charters granted by it, is not only proper 
and right, but is a very natural selection, having a precedent in its own 
charter from the Manchester Unity, of that order's use of the arms of 
its country, Great Britain. It is rather singular, however, that the 
device and motto, "pluribus unum," of the United States, should adorn 
the charter granted by Duke of York's Lodge, of Preston, England, 
to No. 1, Washington's Lodge, of Baltimore. 

The eagle appears quite frequently in English Heraldry, where 
it ranks as one of the most noble of bearings, and from which, doubtless, 
the designer of the great seal of the United States obtained his arrange- 
ment, as it is in perfect accord with the herald's art. 

Claimed to have been the badge or symbol of the tribe of Dan, in 
Christian art the eagle is the sympol of the Evangelist St. John, and 
from this came the idea of the eagle-formed lectern or reading desk. 
Ezekiel i, 10, and Revelation iv, 7, are probably the foundation for the 



108 EAST. 

symbols of the evangelists. Another theory of this, in connection with 
the other evangelistic emblems — the man, the ox, and the lion, — is that 
it symbolizes the ascension of our Lord into heaven, and the lofty 
flights of St. John's inspiration. 

The Scandinavians placed the eagle upon the head of their god 
Thor as the symbol of the supreme god, with the same attributes, as 
were given to Jupiter. This was also the Grecian usage for Zeus. 
The classic nations called it the bird of Jove, and the Romans bore 
it on their standards, as did also the Assyrians and the Persians. The 
Bonapartes adopted it in imitation of imperial Rome. It appears now 
upon the standards of Austria, Prussia, and Russia as the national 
emblem of those states. 

See Cherubim; Gold; Lion; Silver. 

East* There is much in Odd -Fellowship to draw the attention 
toward the land of the East. Palestine, Egypt, Syria and Chaldee, 
all call for study; so that the true inwardness of the many lectures and 
illustrations of Friendship, Love, and Truth, and of Faith, Hope, 
and Charity, may be the better understood. The customs, character 
and environment of the people of the Bible give an emphasis to the 
work, which is not fully brought out in the necessarily limited time 
taken in conferring the degrees. 

As a direction, no attention is paid in the ritual or by usage, to 
the East, yet in almost every mind there is an ill defined feeling, which 
appears to draw the thoughts toward that cardinal point (see). Besides 
the thrill of pleasure, which courses through the nerves of everyone 
who witnesses the sunrise, the breaking of the morning light upon the 
earth, there is a sense of something lost and to be regained, like unto 
a half -forgotten pleasant dream of childhood; an apparently inherited 
notion of something left behind. 

Since history began, a deep regard for the East has always 
obtained. The reason for this may very possibly be, as both sacred and 
profane history tells us, that the human race came from that direction. 
To within a few years, the biblical narrative given in Gen. x, and xi, was 
held in great doubt, all other evidence indicating that Cush went to the 
East from Egypt. Recent discoveries in Chaldee and Assyria, together 
with the ancient writings of the Hindus and Chinese, seem to almost 
positively confirm this Mosaic statement. The Rev. O. D. Miller, in 
his wonderful book, "the Har-Moad," argues this out at length. It is 



EIGHT. 109 

not surprising that we venerate the East. Almost every generation 
since the deluge has been able to say " My father came from (a little to) 
the East. " 

In all the ancient mysteries, the East was particularly sacred. The 
sun being the object of adoration, his revolutions and courses through 
the various seasons were held as symbolical of the life of a God. The 
rising of the sun being typical of the god's birth, the place of his 
rising soon became sacred, and was adored accordingly. Devout wor- 
shippers wakened before dawn, and awaited the first fiery rays, to pour 
forth their prayers and praises for the — to them — divine light. Even 
among nations that abhorred the worship of the sun, the greatest care 
was taken in the orientation of their places of worship. The tabernacle 
of the Jews, in the wilderness, as well as the great temple in Jerusalem, 
was placed due east and west, with the only opening into the holy place 
toward the East, so that the rising sun could look into it. As a mark 
of distinction the tribe of Judah was assigned the eastern side of the 
camp. 

Doubtless the custom of their fathers and of many of themselves, to 
turn toward the East in prayer, influenced the early Christians to 
build their churches with the altars toward the east. Or it may have 
originated from the same feeling that prompted Daniel, the prophet of 
the Lord, to open his windows towards Jerusalem while he prayed to 
his God, in the full knowledge when he did it, that by the decree of 
Darius the King, he was in danger of his life. 

As the Christian church spread toward the West, the thoughts of all 
good Christians went back to that land where God was made manifest in 
the flesh, and their feelings of veneration naturally caused them to turn 
their faces in the direction of their thoughts. In effect following the 
example of the prophet, in opening the windows of their souls toward 
Jerusalem. 

See Tabernacle; Water; Cardinal Points. 

Eight* There seems to have ever been a divinity clustered about 
the number eight. Far beyond history, tradition handed the fact along. 
Through research in the far East, it is known that eight gods were 
anciently recognized, sometimes called the Cabiri. Seemingly there 
were but seven Cabiri, (great ones) but these seven were blessed 
with a father, making the eighth. The father was named Sydak, 
(Justice) by the Phoenicians. These "great ones" were the personified 



110 EIGHT. 

planets. "There are eight Gods, five (Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mars, 
Mercury,) which are named among the wandering stars, one (the 
World) which (made up of all the stars that stud the heaven, as from 
dispersed members, it is thought) is to be regarded as one god; the seventh 
Sol, the eighth Luna." (Cicero N. D. I, 13.) Further it appears 
that there was an order of Accadian priest-kings, who took, or had 
thrust on them, the title of Cabiri, and who preserved the traditions of 
the creation and other wondrous happenings, until the invention of 
writing. Much has been found during the past few years in old Baby- 
lonia, by diligent and intelligent excavation to prove this. An eight- 
rayed star jnf — constituted the Accadian hieroglyphic for the 

center of rotation of the superior heaven, the heaven par excellence, asso- 
ciated with the mount of paradise, the Su-Meru, the pole-star. These 
Accadians divided the heavens into eight celestial regions. Eshmun, 
the eighth Cabiri, represented "heaven." Eshmun is the Phoenician 
equivalent for the Accadian Akman or Aktan, meaning both "heaven" 
and "eight." But, as Mr. Miller says in his Har-Moad, Akman de- 
notes also a " stone" as well as "heaven, " hence a stone is the symbol of 
heaven. "But a rough, unhewn stone would never be taken as such 
symbol; hence, it is almost necessary to conceive here an eight-cornered 
stone, a cube." 




59. Cube. 

It may have been from this that Pythagoras, who was an initiate of 
the Cabirian mysteries of Samothrace, and one of the greatest mathe- 
maticians of his day, esteemed the number so highly. Beside 
being the cube of the first moment, as 2 x 2 x 2 - 8, it is an axiom that 



ELIEZER. Ill 

there are no more and no less than eight angles or corners on any cube, 
no matter what number represents the side. 

An earlier name for Hermopolis, now Syra, in Greece, was Sesum. 
In the Egyptian language, Sesum designates the numeral eight, and re- 
lates to the eight gods who assisted Thoth in his character as creator of 
the world. Eight was represented in the great tower at Borsippa, with 
its seven stages retreating, the one upon the other, whose different colors 
have been interpreted to denote the seven planets. Above all and con- 
stituting the eighth story, was placed a small cubical structure dedicated 
to Nebu, or Mercury, symbolical of heaven. 

The Hindus have eight rules: Right views, high aims, kindly 
speech, upright conduct, harmless livelihood, perseverance in well- 
doing, intellectual activity, earnest thought. And eight high gates of 
purity: Correct ideas upon religious subjects, correct thoughts, correct 
words, correct life, correct endeavors, correct judgments, and correct 
tranquility. (Sir E. Arnold, Light of Asia). 

In church symbolism, eight is the number of regeneration, and by 
far the greater number of fonts and baptisteries are octagonal. This 
is derived from the fact that Christ rose upon the eighth day, that is, the 
day after the Sabbath, which was the seventh day. Another derivation 
of its mysterious character is, that it was taken from the numerical value 
of the letters in the Greek word for Jesus, the sum of which is, as follows 

{ fj /TOO 9 

10 + 8 + 200 + 70 + 400 + 200 + 888. 

Eight was sacred to the worshippers in the Arkite rites, because 
eight people were saved by means of the Ark. (see) 

There are eight degrees (properly so called) in Odd-Fellowship, 
and the significance of the number, friendship, prudence, counsel, 
justice, and equality, are well taught in them all. 

See Cube. 

Ekazer* Pronounced el-ee-ay-zer, Hebrew, "God hath helped." 
The eldest son of Aaron, and his successor as high-priest. He is only 
mentioned here to differentiate him from Eliezer the servant of Abraham 

Eliezer* Pronounced el-i-ee-zer. Hebrew, "God is help." In 
Genesis, xv, 2, called Eliezer of Damascus. The chief servant of the 
Patriarch Abraham, and by him sent into the land of Canaan to find a 
wife for his son Isaac. The story of his transaction is found in Genesis 
xxiv. He is a type of a reliable, god-fearing family servant. 



112 EMBLEM. 



Elizabeth* Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was born 
in 1533, and Queen of England 15 56-1 603, succeeding her sister Mary 
on the throne. The years of her reign were notable for commercial 
enterprise and intellectual activity. While brought up in the Protestant 
faith, there is reason to suppose that her tendencies were toward the 
Roman Church. Outwardly she was a Protestant, and it was necessary 
that she should be, so that she might retain her crown, as under the 
laws of the Roman Church she was illegitimate; her father having 
divorced his first wife, Catharine of Aragon, — and that without the 
consent of Rome, — to marry Anne Boleyn. Still, during her sister's 
reign, she conformed to the ways of that Church, opening a chapel in 
her house at Woodstock, and keeping a large crucifix in her room. As 
long as she lived she retained at least a portion of the old belief, having 
a crucifix with lighted tapers before it in her private chapel, and put up 
prayers to the Virgin. Being a virgin herself, she said, she saw no harm 
in this. (Ency. Brit. 9th Ed. Vol. viii, p. 143 .) 

Elizabeth gloried in the title of "Virgin Queen," though several 
times she was near to marrying, particularly the handsome Lord Dudley 
of her times. Her character was a strange admixture of masculine 
wisdom and vigor, and of vanity and womanly weakness. At times a 
good soldier riding at the head of her troops; at times showing great 
shrewdness and political ability in her council; in love many times, 
and with different men; high tempered, she could swear goodly, round 
and manlike oaths, and soundly box a favorite 's ears for turning his back 
upon her. Pomp and display were very dear to her, and she endeavored 
to fasten the elaborate ceremonies of the old church upon the one of 
which she was the titular head. To the end of her days Elizabeth af- 
fected all the airs of a coy beauty and coquette. Fond of dress, she 
appeared in a new costume every day, and left over two-thousand at 
her death. She was jealous of the charms of other women and expected 
continually the fulsome flattery of her intimates. It was jealousy 
more than the fear of treachery that caused her to lend a too ready ear 
to the accusation of Mary, Queen of Scotts, and to sign the fatal war- 
rant for her execution. It is as the type of vanity and jealousy Elizabeth 
is mentioned in the Rebekah work. 

Emblem* An object or picture of an object representing one thing 
to the eye, but another to the understanding. The meaning of emblem 
rests upon its secondary, not its primary signification. Emblem is often 



EPHOD. 113 

used in a sense synonymous with symbol. Thus, the soaring eagle is 
the emblem of freedom; to the Odd Fellow, the " three links " are the 
emblem of Friendship, Love and Truth. Emblem is used more generally 
than symbol, which has become confined, for the most part, to sacred 
and mysterious purposes. A flag is the emblem of a country or ship, and 
a view of it instantly calls up the accompanying idea it is in a measure 
intended to represent. The "corn and water" used in consecrating the 
altar of Odd-Fellowship (see Book of Forms), are symbolical in char- 
acter, representing material and temporal prosperity, together with 
purity of purpose. 

Emerald* Heb. }QX caphak. A precious stone of a rich green 
color, which occupied the third place in the first row of jewels on the 
high-priest's breast-plate; and was engraved with the name of Levi. It 
is named by St. John as one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem. 
(Rev. iv, 3) 

The Mohamedans say that the fourth of their seven heavens was 
made of emerald, in which Joseph dwelt. 

The emerald is the stone of the month of May, and was supposed to 
strengthen the sight and the memory, promote friendship and constancy 
of mind, and has ever been held symbolical of hope and tranquil peace. 
Portal says that for a long period, to the emerald was superstitiously at- 
tributed the miraculous virtue of hastening childbirth; and that powderd 
emerald cures the bite of venomous animals, was a popular legend. 

Epaulet* The ornament worn upon the shoulders of the military, 
now but a fancy affair of bullion or worsted which, under some regu- 
lations, bears the insignia of the rank of the wearer. They were originally 
of metal plate, stout enough to resist the blow of a sword. Some were 
made up of a number of plates covering the whole shoulder and a portion 
of the upper arm. These were articulated, or jointed so that they 
would slide over each other to permit of the free use of the arm. They 
are a medieval contrivance, and are symbolical of protection. 

Ephod* Heb. "llB& ephod, a vestment; from aphad, to put on, 
to clothe. One of the garments worn by the Jewish priest when at 
service in the temple. It was made somewhat after the form of a child 's 
bib, but was double, covering the back as well as the front of the person, 
and comparatively much larger, reaching the middle of the thigh, both 
front and back. Where the two halves connected upon the shoulders, 

8 



114 ESCUTCHEONS OF THE PATRIARCHS MILITANT. 

ouches (brooches, clasps) were placed. While all the priests wore 
ephods, those of the underpriests were simply of plain white linen; but 
the ephod of the high-priest was a gorgeous garment of blue, purple, 
scarlet, and fine white linen, with golden embroidery. The ouches or 
clasps were of gold set with precious stones. Upon the stones were 
engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, six names upon each. 
The priests of the "Western Church, " when celebrating the sacrament, 
wear a vestment somewhat similar, called an amice. The Koptic and 
Armenian Churches use what is called a kavass or gavass, which ap- 
proaches very closely to the form of the Jewish ephod. These all may 
have been, in a way, an evolution of the leopard skin worn by the 
Egyptian priests. 

From the context, the ephod spoken of in Judges, viii, 27, it is 
evident, was not a garment, but an image. Micah's ephod — judges, 
xvii, 5, — is also supposed to have been an image, though it is not certain. 

The ephod was a distinctively priestly garment, worn by no other 
person, nor by the priests outside the temple; hence it was the symbol 
of sacerdotal service. 



60. Patriarchs Militant Escutcheon. 
Escutcheons of the Patriarchs Militant. There are two of these 

used in the decoration of the baldric, where they are of embossed metal, 
gold or gilt. When displayed upon the banners of Cantons they are 



ESCUTCHEONS OF THE PATRIARCHS MILITANT. 



115 



given color, and, very appropriately, the principal one with its challenge 
"Peace or War" is placed upon the front; while the subordinate, bear- 
ing the motto of "Universal Justice," indicative of the character and 
methods of the P. M., is placed upon the back. 

These escutcheons are modified forms of Heraldic shields, and can 
be blazoned thus: — The principal; On a chief sable, three links of a 
chain, or (gold), below an eye, rayonnJ of the same; the field party per 
pale and chevron; the first quarter azure, a lamb lodged of the second (gold) ; 
(the lamb should be argent, silver, and is so on many banners) ; second 
quarter gules, (red), a lion rampant, or; the third quarter pur pure 
(purple), eight swords or, crossing as many crooks of the same, five, one, 
three; over all a chevron or, with motto "Pax aut Bellum" gules. The 
subordinate; Or, a crook and sword in saltier, ppr. (proper); an 
inescutcheon purpure, a bend or, in the sinister chief a crown of the same 
lined gules; over all a bendlet red with motto " Justitia Universalis, " of 
the first. 




61. Patriarchs Militant Escutcheon. 



It is hardly necessary to go over the symbolism of these escutcheons 
in this place as every detail has been duly considered under its separate 
title. As a whole they convey the full story of the good citizen who de- 
sires naught but "universal justice, " and while that obtains keeps to his 
peaceful avocations, yet ever ready to combat for his ideal with the 
restraining arguments of reason symbolized in the crook, or if necessary 



116 FALLING LEAVES. 



with the more vigorous and sanguinary weapons of war typified by the 
sword. The lodged lamb is the figure of his peaceful character, while 
the rampant Hon betokens his spirit when roused by injustice. 

See All-Seeing Eye; Crook; Crown; Lamb; Lion; Sword; Three 
Links. 

Esther, The Hebrew queen of Ahasuerus, king of Persia. The 
name is the Persian for star. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, 
or Myrtle. This beautiful woman succeeded in saving her people from 
extermination by the exercise of those fine qualities of love and tact 
that are best developed in woman. Her interesting story is fully re- 
lated in the Book of Esther. By the church, as are some other good 
women of the old Testament times, she is considered as an emblem of 
Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, the Son, because she brought de- 
liverance to Israel. 

Evergreen* See Green. 

Eye, All-Seeing* See All-Seeing Eye. 

Ezel* The Stone* See Stone Ezel. 

"F" The sixth letter of the English Alphabet as also of the Latin 
and Phenician. The sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is not related 
phonetically to the English F, but has the value of W. g, or P|, pho, 
the seventeenth in the Hebrew, and $, phi, in the Greek represent the 
sound of the English F in those languages. As a Roman numeral in the 
middle ages F stood for forty, and with a dash over it F, for 40,000. 

Faith. There is an old legend of the Greeks, that St. Sophia (i. e. , 
Heavenly Wisdom) had as daughters, St. Faith, St. Hope, and St. 
Charity. It is a beautiful truth that Faith, Hope and Charity are the 
offspring of Heaven's Wisdom, which is but another name for God. 
The emblem of Faith is the cross. See. 

Falchion* A broad, short sword, having its widest part about one- 
third its length from its point and with but a single cutting edge. It is 
sometimes curved, but oftener straight on the back. 

See Sword. 

Falling Leaves* See Leaves, Falling. 



FEATHERS. 



117 




Feathers* Ostrich feathers, such as are worn on the chapeaux of the 
Patriarchs Militant, have their symbolism. Far back in the distant past, 



the Pharaohs adorned their head-dresses with ostrich plumes. 



Usually they are shown on the monuments singly, though two are often met 
with, and, rarely, three. To the Egyptians these feathers represent truth. 
It was not until A. D. 1346, that the triple -feathered badge was adopted 
into British Heraldry. Edward, the Black Prince, who commanded the 
English troops at the battle of Crecy, defeated the French with their 
allies under the King of Bohemia. This King, being blind, was led 
into battle between two knights, and bore on his shield, as his cognizance, 
three ostrich plumes, with the motto Ich dien, " I serve. " Edward was 
so taken with the almost melancholy action of the poor king, and the 
aptness of the motto, that he assumed the device and motto for his own. 
It has ever since been the peculiar badge of the Princess of Wales. 




63. The Badge of the Prince or Wales. 



From the above, one can readily deduce the fitness of the three 
plumes that adorn the chevalier's head-gear. A plume, itself, repre- 
senting the Truth ; the three signifying Service ; the combination indicat- 
ing the beautiful sentiment " I serve the Truth. " A further extension of 
the symbolism may be had in the colors of the feathers; the white being 



118 FIRE. 

the symbol of Purity and Innocence, the purple or scarlet, of Im- 
perially. 

See Purple; Scarlet; White; also Ate} Crown , under Crown. 

Fidelity* The peculiar emblem of fidelity is a pair of "Clasped 
Hands. " See Clasped Hands. 

Fifth Degree* See Truth, Degree of. 

Fire* Only appears in Odd-Fellowship upon the altar of dedi- 
cation, but it is ever present where the principles of the Order are prac- 
ticed. The fire upon the altar is symbolic of that other fire which is 
continually glowing in the hearts of true Odd Fellows, with Friendship, 
Love and Truth. The early Persians used fire as the symbol of their 
God. Hence they were called fire worshippers. This was a great 
mistake. Their God was our God, and was but symbolized by the fire, 
as the Christians now symbolize the body and blood of the Lord, in the 
bread and wine of the sacrament. In the Bible " Fire is represented as 
the symbol of Jehovah's presence and the instrument of His Power, in 
the way either of his approval or destruction." Ex. iii, 2; xiv, 19. 
There can be no better symbol for Jehovah than this of fire, it being at 
once immaterial, mysterious, but visible, warming, cheering, comforting* 
yet also terrible and consuming. Parallel with this application of fire 
and with its symbolical meaning are to be noted its similar use for 
sacrificial purposes and the respect paid to it, or to the heavenly bodies 
as symbols of deity, which prevailed among so many nations of antiquity, 
and of which traces are not even now extinct; e. g. the Sabian and 
Magian systems of worship. Isa. xxvii, 9. Fire for sacred purposes 
obtained elsewhere than from the altar was called "strange fire," and 
for the use of such Nadab and Abihu were punished with fire from God. 
Lev. x, 1-2; Num. iii, 4; xxvi, 61." (Smith-Peloubet, Bib. Diet.) 

The Chaldeans called fire a principle, intellect, splendor uncreated, 
eternal; figurative expressions equally consecrated in the Bible. Jehovah 
appeared in the burning bush; a luminous column conducted the 
children of Israel in the desert. The sacred fire of the tabernacle was 
the symbol of the presence of God in Israel. The lightning flashed, 
the thunder rolled, and the Eternal, surrounded by a flaming fire, de- 
scended on Mt. Sinai, as in the smoke of a furnace. The throne of God, 
said the Prophet Daniel, was " like the fiery flame, and His wheels as 
burning fire, a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. " 



FIRST DEGREE. 119 



The third attribute of divinity, or the Holy Ghost, the love of God and 
worship has the same symbol, fire, which is translated in the language of 
colors by red. The miracle on the day of pentecost (Acts, ii), when the 
apostles " were filled with the Holy Ghost, " describes it as " a mighty 
rushing wind, with cloven tongues as of fire. " St. John, the Baptist, 
says (Matt, hi andxi) " I, indeed, baptize you with water unto repentance; 
but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not 
worthy to bear; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire." 

Fire the symbol of the purification and the regeneration of the soul 
explains the custom of burning the bodies of the dead, the barbarous 
superstition of which constrained the Hindu widows to consume them- 
selves on their husbands funeral pile, and the fanaticism of the Gym- 
nosophists, who condemned themselves to this punishment to gain 
heaven, according to Strabo. 

There is a tradition prevalent amongst all nations, that fire has 
created and will destroy the world, for the soul emanating from the love 
of God must return into his bosom. One of the names of the divinity in 
Hebrew is ££/£$, ash, fire. In Indian mythology, Siva is the fire which 
created the world and must consume it. (Portal). 

The name and form of the pyramids, or columns of fire, used by the 
kings of Egypt, are not the effect of fancy, or chance. Jupiter appears 
identified with the Indian God Vishnu. Fire, which creates and ani- 
mates the universe, is the symbol of these two divinities. Fire in all 
ancient religions was the symbol of divine love ; the history of sacrifices 
evinces it; everywhere victims consumed on the pile of wood formed the 
basis of worship, as love is the basis of all religions. Self-love, egotism, 
the principle of all cime and vice, that devouring intenseness of hatred 
and the passions should have the same symbol — fire. The infernal fire, 
in opposition to the divine, had smoke and ashes for particular symbols. 
"Impiety," says Isaiah, "burneth as the fire; it shall devour the briars 
and the thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forests, and they 
shall mount up as the lifting up of the smoke. The people shall be as 
the fuel of the fire; no man shall spare his brother. " Thus wickedness 
finds its symbol in the devouring earthly fire, and arrogance in the smoke 
which is inseparable from it. (Ibid.) 

First Degree* The present first degree, called also the Degree of 
Friendship, was originally the Second or Covenant Degree of the old 



120 FIVE. 

work. In the first or White Degree of the old work, the allegories pre- 
sented to impress the candidate were illustrative of Benevolence, 
Brotherly Love, and Charity, the great lesson taught being "the 
importance of association for philanthropic purposes. By such asso- 
ciations, the combined operations of the many are rendered more effec- 
tive; and all actuated upon by emulation in good works, are rendered 
more zealously active in welldoing, and the world is benefitted, and our- 
selves improved and blessed. " (Rev. A. B. Grosh.) 
See Covenant Degree; Mephibosheth. 

Five. The Navajo Indians have a tradition that "this world 
was destroyed five times. The first time, by a whirlwind; the second, 
by immense hail stones; the third, by smallpox, when one pustule cov- 
ered a whole cheek; the fourth, all was destroyed by coughing; the fifth 
time, Nayenesgony and Tobaidischinni (demons) went over the earth 
slaying all enemies." (/. Stevenson). The fifth stage of the great 
tower of Birs-i-Nimrud, at Borsippa, was colored yellow, and was 
assigned to the planet, Venus, the fifth from the sun. The traditional 
Mt. Meru, the sacred mountain, and the geographical center of the 
earth, the pivot upon which it turned, had five summits ; that is, the 
mount itself, and four others flanking it. When Mohamed made his 
momentous journey into the heavens, he found the fifth was composed 
of adamant. Here Moses resided, and with him, Mohammed had 
a conference. This holy chap could tell great fish stories. Among 
others he told of Jesus calling on heaven for food, when there descended 
" a fish, ready dressed, without scales or prickly fins, dropping with fat, 
having salt placed at its head, and vinegar at its tail, and round it all 
sorts of herbs except leeks, and five loaves of bread, on one of which 
there were olives, on the second honey, on the third butter, on the fourth 
cheese, and on the fifth dried flesh." Verily, the " prophet of the Lord " 
had a glutton's imagination. 

The Pythagoreans held the number five in great regard. As in 
other numbers, in their superstition, they attached a mystical notion 
to it. Being the union of the first odd number, rejecting unity, with the 
first even, it symbolized to them the mixed conditions of order or dis- 
order, of happiness and misery, and of life and death. As odd and even 
it was the emblem of marriage. The odd — three — signifying the male, 
the even — two — the female principle. The Greeks, because it indi- 
cated ether and the four elements of earth, water, fire, and air, con- 



FIVE-POINTED STAR. 121 

sidered it the symbol of the world. Five was considered by the Her- 
metic Philosophers, the quintessence of matter. That is, the fifth 
element or essence, or the substance, according to Aristotle, of the 
heavenly bodies. It was, beyond the four terrestrial elements, endowed 
with a circular motion, and was bright and incorruptible. 

In the old ritual, the Subordinate Lodge had five degrees, and five 
members compose a legal quorum for a meeting, and five can hold a 
charter. 

Five-pointed Star* This emblem, peculiar to Past Grands, when 
charged with the "Heart and Hand," is one of the most beautiful sym- 
bols of the Order. It has a deal of significance, not only in its entirety, 
but in its details. As an official jewel it must be made of white metal. 
Under the name of Pentalpha, it was a favorite diagram of Pythagoras, 
who gathered to himself a great store of general knowledge from Egypt 
and Babylonia, and made much of the permutation of numbers, while 
geometrical figures were his delight. Taking the occult powers of the 
planetary seven, the zodiacal twelve of Babylonia, the spiritual arithme- 




64. Pentagram of Health. 

tic wherein deities were recognized in whole numbers, and evil spirits in 
fractions, he developed a philosophy as nonsensical as it was attractive 
to the unenlightened minds of his contemporaries. The Pentalpha is 
a diagram of a regular five-pointed star. Taken from Euclid, iv, prop. 
11, familiar to all schoolboys, it was so wonderful with its five trian- 
gles or alphas, its suggestion of the figure of a man, with head, legs, 
and extended arms, as well as its representing the five principal planets, 
that it was used as a badge of fellowship, and the talisman of health 
when the letters 'TTEIA (hygeia - health) were placed one each within 
a triangle. 

As a talisman it is found all over the east, as well as in Europe. It 
is seen on antique coins of Britain, Gaul, Scandinavia, on those of 



122 FLAG. 

Greece and of Southern Asia. The Druids wore it on their sandals as a 
symbol of deity, probably as an emblem of the sun. 

The early Christians held it in reverence as signifying the five 
wounds of Christ. The Magians according to the positions of the 
planets about which they described an imaginary five-pointed star, 
(Pentalpha) decided whether the horoscope was evil or good. If it 
pointed upward with a single ray, it represented the good principle; 
if with two rays upward the evil was indicated. They read further 
antitheses, such as the blessed lamb of Ormuzd, or the accursed god 
of Mendes; initiation or profanation; victory or death; light or dark- 
ness; in fact, any or all things were decided pro or con, according to 
position. 

In Heraldry, a five-pointed star is called a mullet, and is used for 
"differencing." That is, when several branches of the same family 
use the same blazonry, the mullet is placed over the shield to indicate 
that it is of the third son's branch. 

See Five; Heart-in-Hand; Star; Sun; White. 

FIag» A piece of some light material, usually of bunting, and 
mostly rectangular in form, attached to and hanging freely from a pole, 
to convey certain ideas to persons at a distance. According to the 
color or colors, and its position on the pole, many different ideas may be 
transmitted. Every nation has its flag divided by colors in its own 
peculiar manner, and it ordinarily signifies that what is beneath it 
belongs to the country it represents. Under some circumstances, it 
indicates a desire to honor such country. Its position on a sea-going 
vessel conveys to other vessels at a distance the information as to 
where bound and where from. A ship with the American flag at the 
stern, a French flag at the fore peak, the line flag at the main, would 
be recognized at a glance as an American of the line indicated bound 
to France. Should two vessels be passing, and their commanders desire 
to be very polite, the national flags at the stern are dipped; that is, 
run down and up three times. This is a universal custom when mer- 
chantmen pass a war ship. Flags are also raised over public buildings 
to indicate that business is under way. The school houses in many of 
our states are now by law required to hoist the beautiful flag of America 
while school is in session. In case of mourning for some prominent 
citizen, flags are run up to half-staff. This is supposed to have been de- 
rived from the custom of the sea, where the same is done, with the addi- 



FORTY. 123 

tional arrangement of tying it in a knot when there is death on board. 
Should a vessel be in distress, the flag is displayed upside down, which 
denotes an urgent need for help. In case of the surrender of a fort or 
vessel, its flag is hauled down, struck. There are several flags with uni- 
versal meanings, such as a black one, plain, or with some device, as of a 
death's head and cross-bones. This indicates piracy. A red flag was 
used by the Romans as a signal for battle, hence it later became the 
signal for blood or danger, and also the standard or symbol of a revo- 
lutionary party, who intend to obtain their ends by bloodshed and 
havoc. It was the flag of the commune in France, and is in a way 
the rallying flag of anarchy. Again, a red flag may be and is often 
used, as a protective warning against danger. When carrying or un- 
loading powder or high explosives a vessel always displays such a signal 
of danger. It is also shown at target practice, and to stop railway 
trains. A white or flag of truce, conveys an intimation to the enemy 
that a conference is desired, and the detail carrying it is rarely fired 
upon. All nations endeavor to prevent such action and condemn it as 
the most heinous crime known. A white flag bearing a Greek cross in 
red is the particular emblem of the Red Cross Society, and protects the 
field hospital and relief corps on the battle field from the fire of all civ- 
ilized troops. A yellow flag is used as a sanitary signal. Displayed 
from a vessel it indicates that contagious or infectious disease is on 
board. It is also carried by the boats of the Quarantine officer and 
upon the buildings of his station. 

FlamfceatU See Torch, 

Flowers. Fragrant beautiful flowers are a general symbol of 
Faith, Hope, and Charity, those celestial virtues to which all Odd 
Fellows are loyal. Both flowers and virtues " fill the air with fragrance; 
beautify and adorn all on whom they fall." "The flowers appear on 
the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the 
turtle is heard in the land." (Cant, ii, 12). How well does this from 
the Song of Solomon, represent the appearance of the bearer of these 
three graces, in the fulfillment of that law which comands "visit the 
sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, educate the orphan." 

Forty* As frequently used in the Bible, forty is an indeterminate 
quantity, as one would say in these days, "three or four weeks," or 
" several months. " A few instances of this use are : The forty days' pro- 



124 FOUR. 

bation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; the forty days' rain of 
the deluge; Moses' exile of forty years in the Land of Midian; and his 
forty days' sojourn upon Mt. Sinai; the forty years' wanderings of Israel; 
the forty days spent by Elias in the wilderness ; the forty days ' grace given 
to the people of Nineveh by the prophet Jonah ; The fasting of Christ, and 
His forty days ' temptation by the Devil. Also the forty days between 
the crucifixion and the ascension. Later we have in commemoration 
of some of this the forty days of Lent. 

The number forty was held sacred by the Pythagorians, be- 
cause the two perfect numbers 4, and 10, multiplied produce that 
number. 

See Four; Ten. 

Four* A four-sided figure was held in great esteem by the Chaldean 
Magi, whose learning, while superstitious and in a way mythical, yet was 
the fountain head from whence came the leading thoughts on religion 
and mythology of the classic nations of antiquity. Four being related 
to the four cardinal points, was symbolical of the universe, the world, 
the temple, and the home. In the dogma of the zodiacal temple, the 
" under world, the region of darkness, the infernal abodes, the Greek 
hades, and the celestial earth, were referred to the nadir, or Fourth 
World." {Miller, Har.) The ancients recognized four elements only; 
earth, water, fire, and air. These elements had the attributes of gener- 
ation. Fire and air appertain to the male principle, water and earth, to 
the female, yet the two sexes appear in different relations, causing not a 
little confusion. Air, while male in relation to the two inferior elements, 
is female in relation to fire, and water, female in relation to the superior 
elements, is male in respect to the earth. In Chinese astronomy, there 
are four great constellations, corresponding to the four cardinal points. 
To the East there is a Blue Dragon; to the West there is a White Tiger; 
at the South the Red-Bird; while at the North is the Tortoise or Black 
Warrior. 

The Hindus have the same cardinal points placed under four re- 
gents. Kuvera is the regent of the North, and the god of riches. Yama 
is the regent of the South, and the god of the dead. Indra is the regent 
of the East, and god of the clouds or heaven, while Varuna is the 
regent of the West, and the god of the ocean or waters. {Arnold, L. of 
A, p. 38, note). They reckon also on four fearless virtues: Humility, 
Purity, Wisdom, and Charity. (Ibid, p. 117). 



FOUR. 125 

The fourth heaven of the Mohamedans is of emerald; Joseph was 
interviewed by the "prophet" therein. 

The American Indians also have a superstitious regard for the 
number four. Algonkins, Hidatsas, and the Mexicans all appear to 
believe that the ghosts of the dead haunt their wigwams and graves for 
four nights after death, and use various incantations to prevent them 
harming the living. The Hidatzas assert that there are four seasons in 
the other world, but these seasons are reversed. One of the titles of the 
Mexican God, Quetzalcoatl, was Lord of the Four Winds, the North, 
South, East, and West winds. In the Navajo ceremonials the number 
holds a most prominent place. The priest is assisted by four men. 
Most of the objects used are in groups of four. The incantations are 
made by four passes. Their god Hasjelti seems to be the god of the 
winds, and he is depicted four times in every picture, holding the "em- 
blem of the four concentrated winds. This emblem is a "square," 
ornamented with turkey feathers at the corners. Four is also used by 
the Blackfeet in their ceremonials. At their great feasts, when all 
branches of the tribe meet in general council, a medicine-lodge is always 
erected. First, however, four "sweat-houses" are set up, so that the 
medicine men and the chiefs may be clean. Then four days and four 
nights are consumed in erecting the great lodge. Four lines of braves 
dance to and from the center while chanting " The Raising of the Pole." 
While cutting a hide into thongs, four " coups " or narratives of daring, are 
recited by braggadocia warriors. 

O 

o o 

o o o 

o o o o 

65. Triangle of Four. 

Pythagoras, who gave so much time to drawing inferences and 
occult meanings from numbers and geometric diagrams, found the 
figure called tetrachtys in Babylonia, and gave it a symbolic character, 
based upon the name of deity. Many of the nations of his day spelled 



126 " G." 

the name of God with four letters. The Greeks wrote feo?; the 
Romans Deos ; the Egyptian Amun; the Hebrew rWP» anc ^ s0 on * 

This symbol, though a triangle, being made up of 10 points, 
has four to a side; hence the name tetractes, from the Greek 
Tsrpakros - four. Pythagoras held that the single point symbolized 
the active principle, or the creator, the two signified the passive 
principle or matter, the three represented the world proceeding from 
the union of the one and the two, while the four symbolized the liberal arts 
and sciences which perfected that world. The sum of these points, i + 2-j- 
3 -f 4=10, was emblematic of perfect harmony, as it showed the power of 
Four, which is deity. The number four being also a square, typified 
firmness of mind, fixed steadfastly on the four cardinal virtues, Justice, 
Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude. 

In the church this number relates to the four evangelists, the four 
beasts of the Apocalypse, the four-headed beast seen in Ezekiel's vision, 
the four dogs of Mercy, Truth, Justice, and Peace, the four considera- 
tions that influenced the Savior to undertake the salvation of men. 

Fourth Degree* See Remembrance Degree. 

Friendship, Degree of. See Covenant Degree; Mephibosheth. 

Frozen Garb* " That repulses approach and closes the ears to the 
call of humanity.' ' There is not a metaphor in all the work, either 
written or unwritten, that is so apt, comprehensive, and concise as the 
two words "frozen garb." No one, but he that has suffered, can fully 
appreciate the exactness of the phrase, and how well it expresses that, not 
imaginary but actual, physical chill which rushes through the breast of 
the suppliant when compelled to ask help of the selfish. It does not 
mean cold charity, for there is no such thing as cold charity. Mere 
giving is not charity. Charity is loving help, the greatest, grandest of 
the celestial virtues, and though there may be degrees of love, charity 
never falls below zero. Some heat there must be, or ever that celestial 
virtue shows forth. It is a sad commentary on the things of this life 
to observe that it is oftenest he who "possesses a captivating person 
and manners" that wears the "frozen garb," while he with the "rough 
and unseemly exterior," has the readiest sympathy and most generous 
and charitable heart. 

"G*" The seventh letter of the English and the Roman alphabets. 
In the Hebrew and many other alphabets it occupies the third place. 



GAVEL. 127 

The Hebrew, J, gimel, is of the numerical value of 3, and signifies 
camel. It is the initial of the third sacred name of God, ^tlH 

T 

Ghadol, "Magnus." As a Roman numeral, in medieval times, G stood 
for 400, and with a dash above it, G, 400,000. 

Garnet* A beautiful crystal, mostly red in color, though brown , 
black, green, white, and yellow are not infrequent. The deep-red trans- 
parent garnet is highly prized as a gem, as is also the brilliant bright- 
green sort found in Siberia. In folk-lore the garnet is assigned to Jan- 
uary. Typical of the glowing sunset, it is emblematic of wild-fire. 

Garter* The following from the "Times," is given for the benefit 
of the Rebekah sisters, who may accept it for what it is worth. Of 
course, it is to be understood that the writer knows nothing whatever 
upon the subject. "A young girl, blushing faintly, remarked at a 
theatrical performance, one evening, about the garter of a pale blue 
silk, that a dancer wore below her knee. It is bad luck to wear one's 
garter in that way. It is also untidy, but principally it is bad luck, and 
I for my part, would not do it. It is also bad luck to wear white garters 
— they signify death — and yellow ones signify jealousy and love troubles. 
Garters tied in a true-lover's knot, are the most fortunate ones, and if 
they are jeweled, that makes them still more fortunate. Suspender 
garters have no bad luck attached to them, but they are not very pretty. 
After the true-lover's knot, the black garter, fastened with a gold buckle, 
is the luckiest. My own garters always match my stockings, but you 
could never induce me to wear stockings of white or yellow." 

Gauntlet, See Steel Gauntlet. 

Gavel. As defined in the Century Dictionary, a gavel is "A small 
mallet used by the presiding officer of a legislative body or public assem- 
bly to attract attention and signal for order." This dictionary gives no 
intimation whatever that the word is applied to a mason's single-peened 
hammer. Its derivation from the Cornish gavel, a hold, a tenure, refers 
to land matters; while the derivation from Old French gavelle, or Pro- 
vengal guavella makes it a sheaf of wheat. When the small mallet was 
first adopted for use as a gavel, or how the name gavel became applied 
to it, is now impossible to determine. It possibly may have been sug- 
gested by the autioneer's hammer, or mallet, thereby saving the wise 
chairman's knuckles and voice. The use to which it is put, that of 



128 



GLOBE. 



directing and announcing determinatively, gives it its emblematic 
character; though a hammer in the hands of Phthah, one of the old 
Egyptian deities, is also regarded as a symbol of authority. The Scandi- 
navian god Thor also had a hammer, with which he struck the clouds, 
causing thunder, and with which he fought his enemies. This hammer 
is frequently found graven on stones along with runic writing, where it 
not infrequently. has been taken for the tau cross. (see Cross). There 
is ample evidence to satisfy the most sceptical, that a hammer is intended, 
and not a cross. Quite a few highly ornamented pendants in silver, 
bronze, and other materials, have been found in Sweden and Norway, 
representing this hammer. (Du Chaillu, Vik. Age.) The gavel appears 
on the Great Seal of the Sovereign Grand Lodge. 

Globe^ The special emblem of the old First or White Degree, and 
now one of the emblems of the Degree of Brotherly Love. The globe is 
significant of world-wide influence, "the earthly home of man, the field 
of our life efforts and labors, the nursery of immortality. (Grosh). 



■)%*? 




66. The Globe. 



The classic nations in their strenuous efforts to worship something, 
appeared to have worshipped everything that could by any means be 
personified. Among such, the earth took from the earliest times a con- 
spicuous place. In the Eleusinian mysteries, Ceres was a most promi- 
nent goddess, called by the Greeks Demeter, that is, Mother Earth. 
This personification of the earth was not of the brute matter that com- 



GLOBE. 



129 



posed it, but of the passive productive principle supposed to pervade it. 
(R. P. Knight). 

"Then the Omnipotent Father, great ^Ether, (Jupiter) with fecund 
showers, descends into the bosom of his rejoicing wife, and united in 
love with her great body, nourishes all her offspring." (Virgil, Georgics, 
ii, 324). 

The Babylonians, conceiving the earth as a sphere, used it as a 
symbol of the cosmos, that is, the universe as an embodiment of order 
and harmony. From this they developed the symbolic idea of the divis- 
ion of the sphere into a superior and an inferior hemisphere, which 
represented the particular heaven and earth known to primeval man, 
imagined as a celestial and a terrestial paradise. 




67. The Globe in Full Light. 



The arms of Dryden are charged with a globe, as are also those of 
Hope and Hopetoun, broken or fracted. In Heraldry, the globe is termed 
a mound; particularly when surmounting a crown as a base for a cross. 

In Christian art, the globe, wrapped in the coils of a serpent, 
symbolizes the world fallen through sin. Placed beneath the feet of 
the Virgin, it is symbolic of her triumph over the sinful world. 

The Rev. Thomas Maurice says, "The Egyptian triad was repre- 
sented by a globe, a serpent, and a wing. The globe was the emblem 
of God, because that His center was everywhere, and his circumference 
immeasurable. The serpent designates eternity and likewise wisdom. 
The wing was the emblem of the air or of the spirit." 
9 



130 GOAT, RIDING THE. 



Globe in Full Light* An emblem of the Royal Purple Degree 
before the revision of the ritual. Rev. A. B. Grosh says — Emblem of 
the Regenerated World: — "It represents 'the world, and they that dwell 
therein,' as beheld in its Creator's purpose, when ' God saw everything 
that He had made, and, behold, it was very good!' — as seen by the 
heavenly host in visioned future, when ' the morning stars sang together 
and all the sons of God shouted for joy' — and as it will be seen in reality, 
when purified from selfishness and sin, by the spirit of the Most High 
breathing over and into it the sanctifying influences of Friendship, Love, 
and Truth, and of Faith, Hope, and Charity." 

"By contrast with the world in clouds, it reminds us of the world 
as it is, with the world as it should be, and of our solemn duty, to ' go on,' 
and still 'onward,' under such guidance as will bring us through all 
darkness, temptation, and trial, to light, and virtue, and victory, at 
last." (Manual, p. 292, ed. 1869). 

Glory* A representation of light surrounding a person or other 
object, thereby symbolizing divinity. Properly it combines a light 
with rays streaming in all directions, which rays signify, further, the 
dispersion, as of the rays of the sun, of the goodness of that divinity to 
all the earth. The ancient pagans used rays as symbols of the sun, which 
itself symbolized their greatest gods. 

"Then I beheld, and, lo, a likeness as the appearance of fire; from 
the appearance of his loins even downward, fire ; and from his loins even 
upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the color of amber. And, 
behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision 
1 saw in the plain. (Ezek. vii, 2 and 4). 

Gloves* See Steel Gauntlet; White Gloves. 

Goat* Elding the* A slang expression for "being initiated." This 
is a correct, though somewhat coarse, example of symbolic language, 
wherein a certain expression is used to convey an entirely different idea 
to that contained in the words. The notion of "riding the goat" has, 
however, its basis in fact, for in the Egyptian and some of the classic 
mysteries, a goat was used, as a symbol of procreation, the animal being 
very prolific. It is hardly likely it was the candidate's saddle beast, 
however. In the Scriptures the goat is used as a symbol of the wicked. 
According to Horapollo, in Egypt the goat was the symbol of sharp 
hearing. (II, 68). 



GOLD. 131 

Gold* This noble metal has, since history began, had a hold on the 
minds and feelings of man, for its peculiar properties of ductility, fixed- 
ness, and resistance to destructive agents, no less than its beauty and 
brightness, for which it has been likened to the sun. For as the sun is 
the most prominent of the planets, and the most useful to man, so is gold 
the most prominent and useful metal. In the design of the ziggurat or 
tower of Birs-i-Nimrud, the Chaldeans sought to symbolize astronomy. 
They recognized seven spheres in which moved seven planets. Hence, 
the tower was built in seven stages and each stage was of a color appro- 
priate to a particular planet. The first stage, assigned to dim and dis- 
tant Saturn, was black; the second, allotted to Jupiter, was of an orange 
shade; the third, the stage of Mars, was of a martial red; the fourth, 
devoted to the Sun, appears to have been actually plated with gold, — 
gold-leaf not having been invented at so early a date. The fifth stage, 
accorded to Venus, was of a pale yellow color. The sphere of Mercury 
in the sixth stage was of blue, while the seventh stage, the sphere of the 
Moon, is supposed to have been plated with silver. In this case the 
colors were simply emblematic or representative. If there was any 
hidden symbolism, is has not come down to us. 

In Heraldry, gold is said to represent wealth and generosity, and is 
blazoned " Or." An old writer seems to have been greatly distressed 
over this same metal. He complained that it enchanted the hearts of 
fools, but forgot that it brought comfort to the wise, though he was afraid 
that the wise were blinded by the color. 

Gold, in Scripture, is used greatly as symbolical of " faith triumph- 
ant in adversity and suffering, while its value and brightness are as fre- 
quently used as symbolical of majesty and honor. ' ' According to Solomon 
this most precious of metals signified wisdom, more to be desired than 
riches and power. The three symbolic gifts offered the Babe of Bethle- 
hem were gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. There is an old legend 
that the Magi presented these three gifts to the mysterious child, to whom 
they were guided by the wonderful star, in the hope, or rather desire, of 
ascertaining whether He, whom they were about to worship, was a king, 
a prophet, or God Himself. Were He a King, he would choose the 
gold; were He a poor prophet, He would accept the myrrh; and if He 
were God, then the frankincense would be selected. All three being 
accepted, they perceived that He was both God and man, as well, also, 
the King of Kings Himself. Some writers assign gold to the family of 
Shem, the myrrh to Ham, and the frankincense to Japheth. 



132 GOLDEN BOWL. 



Apollo, the sun-god of the ancients, was frequently called Chrusaor: 
chrusos referring to the golden color of the sun's rays, and aor, from 
airo, to hold up anything. Hence the significance of the title would be, 
"He who holds up the rays of the sun." 

According to the Koran, the second of the Musselman's seven 
heavens was of pure gold, and gold rained down upon the threshing 
floor of poor Job, on his return to health and prosperity, to express the 
magnitude of his newly acquired riches. It is also said that when the 
great day of resurrection comes, the earth will be turned to silver, and 
the heavens to pure gold. Gold in Christian symbolism, besides being 
the emblem of faith, signifies the goodness of God, marriage, and fruit- 
fulness. Portal says that gold is the symbol of divine love revealed 
to man; brass or copper, false gold, denotes degraded love, or religion 
materialized. 

" Gold corresponds with the son, and with the heart, and the same 
relation exists between silver, the moon, and the brain. Yellow and gold 
corresponding to the heart, designates love ; white or silver, emblem of the 
brain, signifies wisdom." {La Colombiere, Science heroique, p. 31). 

Gold in coats of arms, says the same author, indicates of the Chris- 
tian virtues, faith; of mundane qualities, love and constancy; of the 
precious stones, the carbuncle; of the four elements, fire; of the com- 
plexions of men, the sanguine ; of the days of the week, Sunday. 

Gold is the color assigned to the Golden Rule Degree, and its 
symbolism of royalty, of wealth, of power, and of generosity, peculiarly 
fits it for the emblem of that most precious of virtues, charity, evinced 
in toleration. 

See Black; Red (Scarlet); Blue; Silver; Seven; Yellow. 

Golden Altar* See Altar of Incense. 

Golden Bowl. Figuratively the life of man. In the poetic ser- 
mon of Solomon, it is said: — "Man goeth to his long home, and the 
mourners go about the streets; or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the 
golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the 
wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth 
as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Ecc. xii, 5-7. 

The loosened cord, the broken bowl, the fractured pitcher, the 
wrecked wheel, and the lifeless body are equally symbolical of useful- 
ness. Let them be cast away. 

See Cord, Silver. 



GOLDEN SPUR. 133 



Golden Rttk Degree* No better illustration of the allegorical teach- 
ing of this degree can be found than the following by the Rev. Friedrich 
Adolf Krummacher, a noted German divine of the early part of the 
nineteenth century, and published by him in his Pambeln. 

The Persian, the Jew, and the Christian. 

A Jew entered a Persian temple, and saw there the sacred fire. He 
said to the priests: "What! do you worship the fire?" "Not the fire," 
answered the priest; "it is to us an emblem of the sun, and of his ani- 
mating light." Then the Jew asked : " Do you adore the sun as a deity ? 
Do not you know that he also is a creation of the Almighty?" "That 
we know," replied the priest; "but the sensual man needs an 
outward sign to comprehend the highest. And is not the sun the em- 
blem of the invisible incomprehensible light, which preserves and blesses 
all things?" 

Then the Israelite answered: "But does not your nation distinguish 
the image from the original ? They call the sun their god, and sinking 
even from this to the lower image, they kneel before the earthly flame. 
You dazzle the eye of the body, but darken that of the mind; and, in 
presenting to them the terrestrial light, you take from them the celestial. 
' Thou shouldst not make to thyself any image or likeness. ' " 

" How then," asked the Persian, " do you name the Supreme Being ? " 
The Jew answered : " We call him Jehovah Adonai, that is, the Lord 
who was, who is, and who shall be." 

" Your word is great and glorious," said the Persian; but it is terrible." 

Now a Christian approached and said: "We call him Abba, Father. 

Then the Gentile and the Jew regarded each other with surprise, 
and said: "Your word is the nearest and the highest. But who gives 
you the courage to call the Eternal thus ?" 

"Who," said the Christian, "but the Father himself?" 

Then he expounded to them the mystery of the manifestation of the 
Father and the Son, and the tidings of the redemption. And when 
they heard him, they believed, and lifted up their eyes joyfully to heaven, 
and said, full of fervor and of the spirit: "Father, dear Father!" And 
they all three joined their hands and called each other brethren. (Para- 
bles, p. 266, Bohn, London, 1858). 

Golden Spur* It was part of the ceremony of making a knight in the 
days of chivalry, after the dubbing, and the knight arose, to present him 



134 GREEN. 

a pair of golden spurs, as a visible sign that he had done deeds worthy 
of reward. Hence the expression — "He has won his spurs." It is 
emblematical of intrepid courage combined with honor. In those days 
it meant physical courage. In its use in Odd-Fellowship it refers more 
particularly to moral courage ; for it oft requires a braver man to with- 
stand temptation, or to bear up against adversity, than to oppose physical 
force with brawn and muscle. 

Good Samaritan* See Samaritan. 

Gourd* Travellers in the Orient for ages have carried water in the 
rind of the bottle gourd, Lagenaria Vulgaris. This is a climbing, annual 
plant with downy heart-shaped leaves, and beautiful white flowers. The 
peculiar fruit, with its woody rind, begins to form in the shape of an 
elongated cylinder, but soon the bud end begins to swell till it becomes 
of a flask shape, with a slender neck. When ripe the pulp is removed 
from the neck, by scraping, and that in the bulb by soaking with water. 
The rind, being perfectly water-proof, is then used for holding water and 
other liquids. From its form it is very convenient for carrying. They 
grow at times to a length of seven feet, and will hold that number of 
gallons of water. Very small ones are used for wine and other special 
liquids. It was no doubt a small gourd in which the Samaritan carried 
the balm with which he bathed the wounds of the stricken Israelite. As 
a symbol, the gourd is typical of refreshment and healing. 

Green* The Heraldic vert, wherein it is said to represent youth. 
The ancient Britons assigned this color of the woods and fields to the 
compounder and dispenser of potions, lotions, and what not of the 
herbalist's skill. In this sense, it is in frequent use today. The official 
decoration of naval and military surgeons and their staffs, in most civ- 
ilized countries, is green. 

In the mystic ceremony called " Gorsedd," with which the Welch 
open their Eisteddfod, or congress of bards and musicians, there are 
three divisions of characters represented. The first are dressed in blue, 
as a symbol of their celestial aspirations; the second in white, as typical 
of purity; the last in green, to represent grass which is emblematical of 
growth and progress. (Walsh). 

As the spring opens and the buds burst, and "all nature becomes 
with verdure clad," its freshness, liveliness and strength, all indicate 
youth, with its hope and promise of a glorious future. Green is also, at 



GREEN. 135 

times, used to typify contemplation, more particularly that of the 
melancholy sort, probably because the lover of nature is usually of a 
thoughtful temperament. Shakespeare speaks of a " green and yellow 
melancholy," and more than once, has he used "green" to qualify jeal- 
ousy. In the folk-lore of the middle-ages, green was looked askance 
upon, because of its supposed use by the fairies. 

The Egyptians colored green the flesh of their god Phthah, he who 
was the "opener" or "revealer," the god who brought everything out 
of the ideal into the actual, who made the previously hidden deity 
manifest. 

Green under the form of Evergreen, has always been the symbol of 
Hope in Immortality and remembrance. As, when the sprig is dropped 
upon the brother's grave it seems to give certainty to our expectations to 
"meet him in the better land," for "He is not dead, but sleepeth; thy 
brother shall rise again." 

Portal finds three degrees in the symbolic generation of colors; first 
self existence; second manifestation; third the action resulting therefrom. 
In the first, love or the will presides, indicated by red ; in the second, in- 
ellect appears, designated by blue ; in the third, action exhibits its sym- 
bolism in green. According to the prophets, three spheres emanate 
from God, which occupy the three heavens. The first, or sphere of love, 
is red; the second, or sphere of wisdom, is blue; the third, or sphere of 
creation, is green. 

In Ezekiel, i, 26-28, the Eternal is represented as seated upon an 
azure throne, surrounded by a flaming sphere. In Revelations iv, 3 — , 
He appears in the center of an emerald rainbow. 

Green is consecrated to Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom and 
marriage. He is also the Remover of Obstacles, and propitiated at the 
beginning of important undertakings. Green is also consecrated to 
Janus, to the Egyptian Jannes, to St. John, the Evangelist, and to all the 
divinities of Paganism who represent the good and the true in actions of 
life. 

Previous to initiation in the ancient mysteries of pagan religion and 
philosophy, the neophyte underwent four proofs of purification by 
water, earth, air, and flre, indicated by the colors, green, black, blue, and 
red. The symbols of the first degree were the colors black and green. 
The black referred to the primitive waters and chaos, as the green recalls 
creation. The earth also had the same symbolic colors; for as dark 
matter, black was its attribute, and as the principle of vegetation, green. 



136 GREEN. 

"Christianity reproduces the doctrines taught in the mysteries. 
Jesus said (John, iii, 31), 'Unless a man be born again, he cannot see 
the kingdom of God.' The symbol of regeneration was the re-birth of 
nature in the spring time, and the vegetation of plants, of trees, and 
verdure of the fields. The Messiah, going to execution, consecrated this 
symbol, as he had already established it by the parable of the sower. 
Bearing His cross, He said to those who followed Him, (Luke, xxiii, 31), 
'For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the 
dry ? ' The green tree represents regenerated man, as the dry tree is the 
image of the profane who are dead to spiritual life." 

" In China, green typifies the East and spring, a tree and charity. In 
Christianity, green is the symbol of regeneration in action, i. e. of char- 
ity. The Messiah reminds man of the two commandments, — the love 
of God and of our neighbor. Offering Himself as a sacrifice, He gave an 
example of that divine charity, which became the hope of mankind. 
Christian painters of the middle ages painted the cross of a green color, 
symbol of regeneration, of charity, of hope. Sometimes it was bordered 
with a red band, and the sepulchre and instruments of the passion were 
often painted green." 

"Among the Arabs, green had the same signification. It was the 
symbol of initiation to the knowledge of the Supreme God, revealed 
in the Koran. Mahomet saw legions of angels, clothed in white and 
with green turbans, by whom he was succored. White and green be- 
came the colors of Islamism. The principle ensigns of the Turkish em- 
peror are green and white. The green turban is exclusively reserved 
to all emirs, descendants of Ali. The character of Islamism, amongst 
Oriental religions, is that of initiator of the knowledge of the One God. 
Ali, the initiator by conquest, wears a green robe like St. John, the 
initiator by spiritual arms." {Portal). 

" Like the other colors, green had a nefarious signification in opposi- 
tion. The Swedish theosophist, Swedenborg, gave green eyes to fools in 
hell. Satan has green eyes and skin in a window of the Cathedral of 
Chartres representing the temptation of Christ. La Mothe le Vayer says 
that in ancient Florence green was the blazon of fools, and we find the 
same significance in the English phrase 'rather green.' 

" Green symbolizing spiritual victory, later represented material 
victory, and finally, amongst the Greeks, defeat and flight." (Ibid). 

Green was the color of the old Fourth, or Remembrance Degree, 
and it was a happy thought to allot the color to the Rebekahs. Where 



HAND. 137 

rests Hope and Charity in greater measure than with our wives and 
daughters ? Whence can we turn for strength, freshness, and liveliness, 
if not to them ? Are they not our natural nurses and comforters ? And 
as to jealousy; let the brothers give cause for it, and they must take the 
consequences. Nay! they must be jealous of their own good names; 
jealous also of their husband's good names ; jealous still of their branch 
of the Order, with all its possibilities for good to themselves and to 
others. 

Grip* A general emblem of friendship, it has, besides being a test 
of membership, a much deeper meaning as used by Odd Fellows, being 
symbolical of Fidelity, of Eternal Unity, and of the Bond of Friendship. 
Compare the Initiatory and the First Degree with the "Three Links." 

See Hand; Clasped Hands; Three Links. 

** H/* The eighth letter of the English alphabet was derived from 
the Phenician by way of the Greek and Latin. In the middle ages H 
stood for 200, and with a stroke over it, H, for 200,000. Its phonetic 
equivalent in the Hebrew, j"|, he, holds the fifth place in that alphabet, 
and as a numeral it represented 5. The eighth place in that alphabet 
is occupied by f], keth, which has the sound of the German ch, but no 
equivalent in English. 

Half -moon* The jewel of the Deputy Grand Master. Hardly a 
half-moon, yet it is over heavy to be termed a new moon. For sym- 
bolism see Crescent. 

Hammer. See Gavel. 

Hand. The infinite variety of ways in which the human hand may 
be used, its flexibility, its strength or weakness, its expression, its wrinkles, 
make it second only to the eye in its indication of character, temper, 
passion, in fact any and all of the moods or feelings of its owner. It is 
not strange, that early in the history of man the hand became symbolical 
of many things, according to its action. It forms by turns the signal 
for peace or war, for help or rebuff, for love or anger, for commendation 
or disapproval. Ordinarily, when represented without adjuncts the 
hand signifies trained or directed power. 

According to ancient writers, to the Egyptians, the hand was the 
symbol of a builder, as all labor proceeds from the hand; while hands 



138 HAND OF GOD. 



joined were the symbol of concord. (Horap. II) . The open hand, as an 
hieroglyph, has the phonetic value of " D." 

In early Christian art, and for many centuries, the eye, hand, 
or arm issuing from a cloud were the only symbols used for repre- 
senting the Almighty. The sign of the Trinity as given by the priests 
of the Latin Church, in benediction, antedates the Christian era many 
centuries. Amongst the pagan nations it was a sign used in the phallic 
rites. 

"The lightning-flashing cloud was also supposed to be a flaming 
hand. The Greek placed the forked dart in the hand of Zeus, and the 
ancient Mexican symbolized the sacrificial fire by a blood-red hand im- 
pressed on his sanctuary walls. The idea may have been present in the 
mind of the servant of Elijah when he told his master that he saw from 
the top of Carmel rising "A little cloud rising out of the sea, like a man's 
hand. And it came to pass, that the heaven was black with clouds and 
wind, and there was a great rain" (i Kings xviii, 44). In Finnish and 
Esthonian mythology the cloud is a little man with a copper hand, who, 
rising from the water, becomes a giant." (Rev. S. Baring-Gould, Cur. 
Myths, 412). 

The hand is not a stranger in Heraldry, as it appears on the arms 
of not a few European families. It is displayed in various ways. Some- 
times it is the right, at other times the left hand that is blazoned. It 
may be erect or grasping some object. When open it is termed apautnee. 
The badge of Ulster is blazoned " argent, a sinister hand, couped at the 
wrist, and erect, gules." This is the bloody hand of Ulster, and is borne 
by baronets of England and Ireland on an escutcheon, or on a canton 
placed upon the family coats of arms. Maynard of England bore three 
sinister (left) hands, couped (cut off) at the wrist. 

See Clasped Hands; Clean Hands; Heart-in-Hand; Left Hand; 
Right Hand, and below. 

Hand Clapping* The common expression of applause and ap- 
probation. A single clap of the hands is significant usually of attention. 

Hand of God. The hand has ever been a favorite symbol of the 
Almighty. The many allusions in the Old Testament to the hand of the 
Lord; the diversity of its application in a symbolic sense, gives it a first 
place as an emblem of His sovereign power. "From his right hand 
went a fiery law for them." (Deut. xxxiii, 2), and "The hand of God 



HEART. 139 

was very heavy there." (i Sam. v, n; Isa. vi, 25), show the sternness 
of the Lord to evil doers. As a refuge — " Let us fall now into the hand 
of the Lord." (2 Sam. xxiv, 14; 1 Chr. xxi, 13). As a help — "Accord- 
ing to the good hand of the Lord upon him." (Ezek. vii, 9). Of the 
power of creation — "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me." 
(Job x, 8). 

In ecclesiastical art the hand of God is usually shown emerging 
from a cloud, and often in the act of benediction. In the Latin Church, 
the form of benediction is to raise the hand, the first and middle fingers 
being extended, the thumb parallel with the first finger, the third and 
little finger folded upon the palm. This is the sign of the Trinity. The 
Greek form of benediction is to extend the fore finger, half close the 
middle finger, cross the thumb over the middle finger, and half close the 
little finger. This forms the initial and final letters of the Greek words 
Itjgous XpKjros; that is I C X C. 

See Hand. 

Hands* Clasped. See Clasped Hands. 

Hand Washing. See Clean Hand,. 

Hannah. One of the wives of Elkanah, an Ephrathite, and tne 
mother of the prophet Samuel. Her hymn of thanksgiving for the 
birth of her son is so pronounced in its resemblance to that of the Virgim 
Mary, that she is taken as emblematic of the Holy Mother. 

Heart. The heart for many centuries was supposed to be the seat 
of all, or nearly all, the mental faculties. The emotions and affections, 
whether for good or evil, were, therefore, considered as proceeding from 
the heart. Hence its use in figurative language. Hippocrites, the 
great physician of the ancients, (B. C. 460-377) says — "The mind 
which was regenerated in the left ventricle of the heart of man, and is 
the first principle of the soul, is nourished neither by food nor drink by 
the belly, but by pure and luminous ideas evolved from the secretions of 
the blood." (The Heart, viii). 

" Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh, for the life (soul) of 
all flesh is the blood." Lev. xvii, 14. 

"The heart as the receptacle of the blood thus came, by figure of 
speech, to denote the person as to his moral character; and in the New 
Testament, the evil acts denominated ' works of the flesh,' (Gal. v, 19-21) 



140 HEART IN HAND. 



are also spoken of as proceeding out of the heart. (Mk. vii, 20-23). 
But in contradiction to this, the works of the spirit or interior principle 
are described as good and above law; and persons born of the spirit are 
declared to be unable to sin, being born from above. 1 John, iii, 9. 
(A. W. Note, p. 119, Sym. Anc. Art.) 

A hard stern character is said to have a stony heart. On the other 
hand, a tender sympathetic character is considered to have a tender 
heart. It is particularly as to the better sensibilities that the heart is 
used emblematically in Odd-fellowship, whereby good-feeling and love 
and kindness are symbolized. Ofttimes the "big heart" of a generous 
man will open his pocket to his own detriment. Sometimes one may 
be stirred by strong emotions that reach the "cockles of the heart." 
That is, its inmost recesses. 

The " Sacred Heart" of the Roman Catholic Church is the physical 
heart of our Lord, considered as the symbol of His love and spiritual life. 
In like manner the "Immaculate Heart" of the Virgin is significant of 
her charity and virtue. The " Flaming Heart " is an emblem of divine 
love or fervent piety, as it may be the attribute of the Savior or of some 
saint. 

In the Egyptian "Book of the Dead," we find that before the soul is 
passed to the celestial courts, the heart must be weighed in the Balance. 
In one pan of the scale is placed an ostrich feather, the emblem of Truth ; 
while in the other pan is placed the heart of the deceased contained in a 
vase. As the heart, which represents the good and evil actions of its 
owner, o'erweighs the feather with its good, or is o'erweighted, so must 
the owner's soul pass to celestial bliss or to oblivion. 

See Ostrich Feather; Scales and Sword. 

Heart in Hand. This beautiful symbol, while a part of the badge 
of the Past Grand, is really an emblem of the Initiation, and as such 
should be impressed upon the candidate's notice, in all of its significance. 
When the officer greets him, his hand should be offered with his heart in 
it. That is to say, withfa cordiality and sincerity that would show 
that what had been said was not with the lips only, but with the whole- 
heartedness of the speaker behind it. Candor and frankness and sin- 
cerity, the true symbolism of this emblem, should be ever present in all 
dealings between Odd Fellows. 

The hand in this emblem is always displayed with the fingers 
turned upwards. This is the correct heraldic position, and a good argu- 



HERALDRY. 141 



merit that the idea, or, at least, the emblem itself, was drawn from Her- 
aldry. It is so shown on the great general charter granted Grand Sire 
Wildey by the Manchester Unity, and doubtless it will be so displayed for 
all time. It is a pity, however, that it is not shown in the position it 
would naturally assume, had its symbolism and evident lesson been its 
only suggestion. See the cut. 




68. The Heart and Hand. 

Helmet. Defensive armor for the head and neck, particularly that 
made of metal. From its function of saving the life of its wearer from 
sure death from a blow it early received the signification of salvation. 

Rev. S. Baring-Gould, in his closing remarks on St. George, the 
patron saint of England, says; "S. George is any Christian who is 
sealed at his baptism to be 'Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto 
his life's end,' and armed with the breastplate of righteousness, the 
shield of faith, marked with its blood-red cross, the helmet of salvation, 
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word or power of God." 

Heraldry* Particularly English Heraldry, in the opinion of the 
writer after much investigation and study, is the source from whence were 
derived the majority of the many beautiful emblems of the Order. The 
balance came, undoubtedly, from ecclesiastic art. 

In England, where the amenities of life are such as to separate men 
into two general classes — the one powerful, the other directly or in- 
directly, dependent, and the powerful divided into parties or cliques — 
it is impossible to conceive the dependents to be other than divided 
through inclination, self-interest, or absolute necessity, in the same 
manner. With the deference paid to rank by such dependent people, and 
the loyalty with which they look upon their patrons, it is not unnatural 
that they should avail themselves of some badge or token to show whom 
they served or favored. As every family of the patron class is pro- 



142 HERALDRY. 



vided with a "coat of arms," some portion of which is readily adapted 
for use as a badge, it is not unusual for the friends and indirect depen- 
dents, as well as the immediate retainers of such a family to wear it. 
The fashion of wearing family badges at times is as universal as the 
wearing of campaign badges just before a general election in the United 
States. Again there were at the time of the inception of the Order, 
many guilds or associations of tradesmen, such as the Stationers, Iron- 
mongers, Blacksmiths, Shoemakers, and the like; and all had their 
coats of arms and their badges. 

When the first lodges were instituted, they derived much of their 
working structure from these guilds, and as they began to teach the work 
in a practical way, it became necessary to provide visible objects to fix 
the attention of the candidate upon, and about which to weave the les- 
sons of humanity. What then was more natural than to take such as 
they were most familiar with ? Nearly every emblem of the Order can 
be found upon the arms of British families, if, indeed, they did not grace 
the sign-boards of the taverns at which the meetings of the lodges were 
held. It is safe to say that every emblem was derived either from the 
Church or from Heraldry. 

In looking over Fairbank's "Book of Crests," the standard work of 
reference in such matters, there will be found nine families having an 
Open Eye for their badge, while fourteen other families display an 
Open Hand with an Eye in the palm thereof. It appears possible, how- 
ever, that the idea of the "All- Seeing-Eye" was derived from the Bible. 
The "Three Links" appears also, seven times at the least, in the form 
of three annulets interlaced. See the cut. 




69. Three Amulets Interlaced. 
A Possible Prototype of the " Three Links." 

This may be a better solution of the origin of this emblem than that 
advanced under the title of "Three Links." It is interesting to note 
that the family of Salt bore as their crest, "Three annulets, interlaced, 
sable; thereon a dove holding in the beak an olive branch, proper." 



HOREB, MOUNT. 143 



While the Scythe appears in the work but once, it is but fair to as- 
sume that it was a familiar object to our English forefathers, from its 
frequent use in the decorations of tomb stones and memorial tablets. 
Thirteen families bear the horrid "Skull and Cross-bones" for their 
badge. 

As many as eighty-two families have "Three Arrows" upon their 
crests, while three bear a " Quiver and Arrows," and yet again, some 
fourteen display the "Bow and Arrows." 

Twelve families are represented by a "Bundle of Sticks," while 
seventy-four bear "Axes," both singly and crossed, and there are as 
many as one hundred and nine with serpents. At least a hundred 
present the " Open Hand," while twenty-four bear a "Heart in Hand." 
Justice is represented by nine families with " Scales and Sword." Fifty- 
seven attest their characters as clerks by bearing the "Bible" for their 
badge. Seventy-seven families boast of the travels of their founders by 
displaying a " Globe." Twenty-one acknowledge the passing of time 
by showing an "Hour Glass." "Crescents" there are, and " Crosses," 
innumerable; "Pillars" singly and in groups of three; "Tents" are not 
rare, and several altars may be found. The "Bee-Hive is not absent, 
and as for "doves," with and without "Olive Branches," there are 
upwards of three hundred. 

The foregoing, it must be remembered, was taken from " Crests," 
only. Not the coat-of-arms. Would time permit the investigation, the 
number of instances of each of these emblems could be vastly increased 
by the reading of the shields themselves, when it would be found that 
every emblem, received by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
from the Manchester Unity, had its prototype in English Heraldry. 

Holy of Holies. See Tabernacle. 

Hoodwink. See Blindfold. 

Hope. See Anchor. 

Horeb, Mount. The name Horeb, (Heb. desert), is applied, by 
many, to the range of mountains which includes Mount Sinai. Others 
claim that Horeb is the mountain, and Sinai should be applied to the 
range. Dean Stanley suggests that there is no distinction, and that 
both names apply to the same place. It is located toward the south of 
that part of Arabia styled the Sinaitic peninsula. The country is a 



144 HORN. 

wilderness, abounding in "grim, barren, rocky mountains," between 
whose dry and parched sides were found, of old, many verdant valleys, 
wherein numerous flocks were pastured. 

Hor* Mount* Hor, mountain. This mountain, about 4800 feet 
high, lies on the border of Canaan and Edom. It is recognized as being 
the thirty-sixth resting place of the Israelites during their wanderings, 
coming here from Kadesh. From its summit, Aaron is supposed to have 
had his only view of the promised land. Here he died and was buried. 
His tomb upon the summit can be seen from a great distance, a gleaming 
white spot upon the dark red sandstone of the mountain. The present 
name, Djebel neby-Haroun, the hill of the prophet Aaron, attests the 
Arab belief in the legend. It may be interesting to the Patriarchal 
branch to know that from Mount Hor to Mount Horeb, the distance 
in a straight line is something over 160 miles. 

Horn. A horn was by the Assyrians, as well as by the classic 
nations, considered as symbolical of strength, honor, and impetuosity, 
and more or less expressive of sovereign authority, especially the horns 
of the taurus (bull) and the buffalo. One element in the title Pa-te-shi, 
of the old priest-kings, (of whom Melchizedek, king of Salem, was a 
type), was shi, "horn," to strike with the horn, to accomplish, to fill out. 
In constructing the Altar of Sacrifice, for the Tabernacle, some support 
must necessarily have been had for the planks of which it was composed . 
Naturally posts or stakes were driven into the earth at the corners, 
and the planks clamped or framed to them. As these posts were doubt- 
less a little high, it would not have been unlikely that the horns of some 
of the sacrificial victims were stuck upon them. From their well known 
symbolism and their usefulness, as well as their decorative effect, it was 
not long ere horns of metal replaced those of animals. Having adorned 
the Altar of Sacrifice with horns, it was but a step to apply the same 
decoration to the Altar of Incense. That the symbolic use of the horn 
was not unknown to the Jews of the time is shown by Deut. xxxiii, 17, 
where Moses, in blessing the house of Joseph, said, among other things, 
"his horns are like the horns of unicorns; with them he shall push the 
people together to the ends of the earth." Here strength is implied. In 
1 Sam. ii, 1, the idea expressed is of honor; while in 2 Sam. xxii, 3, we 
find it used as a defence. As indicating honor, see Job xvi, 15 and Lam. 
ii, 3. In Dan. viii, 2-25, and Zech, i, 18-21, the horns typify the supreme 



HORN OF PLENTY. 



145 



power of God. It may have been, however, the outcropping of latent 
memories of Egypt, where so many of the gods were depicted with 
horns, that suggested these metaphors and similes. 

In the archaic days there was a custom, handed down from the 
earliest times, whereby the hearth was a sanctuary. Fleeing from an 
enemy, or the law, if one could reach the hearth of some powerful chief 
or patriarch, he was safe for the time being. Some such custom must 
have been attached to the altar, as we read in i Kings, i, 50, and ii, 28, 
that Adonijah and Joab " fled to the tabernacle, and took hold of the horns 
of the altar." 



70 "Rays of the Sun." 

" On the monuments of Egypt, horns are the sign of the idea, to be 
radiant, refulgent, to shine, because, says Champolion, the Eastern 
people found a marked analogy between the horns and the rays of the 
sun. In writing these lines he had in mind, doubtless, the significations of 
the Hebrew word J^pj Q.rn, which signifies a horn, to be radiant, 

resplendent, to shine." {Portal, Egypt, Sym. 27). 

See Altar of Incense; Altar of Sacrifice; Crown, Atef. 

Horn of Plenty* The emblem of the old Fourth or Remembrance 
Degree, is symbolical of a memory stored with knowledge, wisdom, and 
goodness. (Grosh). 



'"5^. 




71. Cornucopia, or the Horn of Plenty. 

The origin of this symbol is given in the ancient myth of the nursing 
of Jupiter by the goat Amalthea. Jupiter broke off one of her horns, 
and gave it the power of becoming filled with whatever its possessor 
might desire ; hence it was called cornucopia, i. e. horn of plenty. 

10 



146 . HORSE-SHOE. 



The ancient Greeks and Egyptians made use of this emblem to 
signify the reproductive powers of the earth. Many of their principal 
gods were represented holding cornucopias, particularly those gods 
who had husbandry under their care; notably Hades, the god of the 
nether world, who sent corn from beneath the earth, and therefor was 
called Pluto, (wealth) because corn was the wealth of early times. On 
some of the coins of the Seleucidae, the elephant is represented with the 
horns of a bull, carrying in his proboscis a torch, (the emblem of fire) 
and in his tail a cornucopia; the whole symbolical of the power of thunder 
through fire, (lightning) which fructifies the earth by projecting rain 
thereon. (Anc. Art., p. 136). Cybele, called Rhea by the Greeks, the 
goddess of the earth, is usually represented with two cornucopias, to 
signify the result of her operations upon the two hemispheres of the 
earth. 

It appears to have been one of the customs of the ancients to deify 
heroes, priests, kings, and others, who were benefactors of the people, or 
otherwise thought worthy, by placing their busts upon an inverted 
obelisk, a lotus-flower, or upon a cornucopia. (Ibid, p. 173). 

Horns of the Altar. See Horn. 

Horse-Shoe. While not an emblem of the Order, the horse-shoe is 
frequently used in combination with the various emblems that are; 
usually as a frame or support. It is in good company when so used, 
and is quite appropriate as well. Its place in folk-lore makes it sym- 
bolical of good luck; and what better luck can a man have, than to be 
an Odd Fellow in good standing? 

One explanation of the use of this prosaic piece of ironmongery as a 
talisman, is that the Russian peasants used to paint outside their doors a 
picture of the Blessed Virgin. The nimbus about the head was usually 
gilded. Eventually the paint, worn away by the rain and snow, left 
only the gilding in the form of a horse-shoe, yet the peasants regarded 
it with the same reverence as they did the whole picture. Travellers 
from Russia brought stories of the peasants having horse-shoes at their 
doors as a protection against evil fortune, and so the superstition of the 
horse-shoe spead over the world. 

Another explanation, and probably the true one, is, that the symbol 
is of a far more ancient origin. The Greeks and the Romans who pinned 
their faith to the goddess Diana, used to wear as a badge of their loyalty 



HOUR-GLASS. 



147 



to the divine huntress, her symbol of the crescent moon. (see). As the 
ages rolled around the crescent became a horse-shoe. One is at liberty 
to accept or reject either or both of these explanations; yet whatever 
the origin of the belief in the horse-shoe as a portent of good luck may be, 
whether the sy mbol of the heathen goddess Diana, or the attribute of the 
Christian Virgin, there are hundreds of thousands of people throughout 
the world who would "never take the horse -shoe from the door." 

Among the Italians, a horse-shoe is supposed to be a protection 
against the evil eye, and when they feel in need of such an amulet, and 
do not have a horse-shoe at hand, they point out with the first and little 
fingers, tucking the second and third fingers under the thumb, thus 
making a sort of a horse-shoe of the hand. They always do this in the 
rural districts of Italy when they meet a foreigner, a man with a camera 
or anything of a character they do not understand. 

Host* The inn-keeper, or guest-master. He is the symbol of at- 
t ention to man's needs, and the emblem of hospitable entertainment. 




72. The Hour Glass. 



Hour- Glass* An instrument known better today from its repre- 
sentations in pictures and models, than by the actual thing. It was 
made of a glass tube constricted in the middle, so as to form two cham- 
bers with a very small connecting aperture. A proper quantity of dry 
dark-colored sand being introduced, and all of it being in one chamber, 
the instrument was inverted, permitting the sand to run down into the 
other chamber. As soon as the sand was entirely run out, the glass was 



148 INCENSE. 



again inverted, and so on. The time was when preachers had them 
placed upon their pulpits, to regulate the length of their discourses. As 
will readily be seen, it was but a clumsy device at the best, and soon 
after the invention of watches and house clocks it was relegated to the 
dust heaps of the past. 

As a symbol of the Fleeting of Time, the hour-glass is probably the 
best, if not the only one. As one watches the little grains of sand falling 
so rapidly, and in so constant a stream, and sees how quickly the upper 
chamber is emptied, the truth of the aphorism that " one's life, like the 
sands in the glass, is fast passing away," is impressively forced upon one ; 
and when life's hour has all run out it is the hand of the Almighty alone 
that can start it running anew in the life to come. 

The Hour-Glass was formerly an emblem of the Royal Purple 
Degree, but in the revision of the work it was transferred to the Degree 
of Truth. It is also the Jewel of the Vice Grand, and adorns the wands 
of his supporters. 



Hyacinth* See Jacinth. 

44 j » ^j^ njnth letter of the alphabets of most European languages. 
Its nearest phonetic equivalent in the Hebrew is *>, yod, which as a 
numeral stands for 10. It is much used as a symbol of the sacred name 
of God, j-j ^ , J ah, " Deus." The numerical equivalent for I is i. 

Inconology* The science or art of representation by means of stat- 
uary or pictures; the description of such. The term is mostly restricted 
to art of a religious character. The word is derived from the Greek 
elKuyv, (eikon) a figure or image, and Xoyta, (logia) speak. The Russian 
"icon" is simply a religious picture. 

Imperial Virtue* Truth. Without truth there can be no virtue 
whatever, no faith, no love, no charity, no friendship, no hope. Hence 
the appellation "Imperial" for truth is the sovereign, the supreme, 
the particular virtue which dominates all others. 

Incense. In ancient times, it appears that no religious ceremony, 
certainly none that was enacted in a building devoted to religion, was 
complete without the use of incense, The remains of Egypt and Assyria 
give numerous illustrations of censers and their use. 

"The heat of eastern and southern countries, by its unpleasant 
physical effects, doubtless first led to the practice of burning odorous 



INCENSE. 149 



substances, though luxury and mere indulgence soon adopted it. Ulti- 
mately, not only chambers, clothes, and furniture were thus perfumed, 
but the beards and whole persons of guests, in great houses, at their 
coming and going. Burning censers were waved before princes, and 
altars, on which incense was burned, were raised before them in the 
streets, when they entered towns and cities. Thus esteemed a mark 
of the highest honor, the custom was early transferred to religious wor- 
ship, in the belief that the Deity delighted in the odors thus offered. 
Hence it became a part of the recognized worship of Jehovah, the Mosaic 
law requiring incense to be burned upon the altar with many offerings." 
(Geike, Life and Words of Christ). 

Incense was offered daily upon the Altar of Incense, at the time of 
trimming and kindling the sacred lamps, in the morning and evening. 
Yearly, on the great day of atonement, the high-priest offered the incense 
in the Holy of Holies. 

" The daily incense offering required the ministration of two priests, 
one of whom bore the incense in a special vessel; the other glowing 
embers, in a golden fire-pan, from the Altar of Burnt-Sacrifice before 
the entrance to the Holy Place, and these he spread on an altar within. 
The first priest then sprinkled the incense upon the burning coals, an 
office held so honorable that no one was allowed to perform it twice, 
since it brought the offering priest nearer the Divine Presence in the 
Holy of Holies than any other priestly act, and carried with it the richest 
blessing from on high, which all ought to have a chance of thus obtain- 
ing. Like the rest of the sacred functions, it was determined daily by lot." 

" During the burning of the incense, each morning and night, the 
worshippers remained in silent prayer, their faces toward the holy spot 
where the symbol of their devotions was ascending in fragrant clouds 
toward heaven; their fond hope being that their prayers might, like it, 
odorous and well pleasing, rise up toward Jehovah." .... "The 
atoning sacrifice, and the clouds of incense, the outward symbols of the 
prayers of the people, were indissolubly associated, and so holy were 
they in all eyes, that the hours sacred to them were known as those of 
the morning and evening sacrifice." (Ibid). 

The incense used in the service of the Tabernacle was composed 
of stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense, and it was forbidden to 
use an incense of any other composition. 

"The Egyptians used various substances as incense. They wor- 
shipped Ra at sunrise with resin, at midday with myrrh, and at sunset, 



150 INITIATION. 



with an elaborate confection called kuphi, compounded of no fewer 
than sixteen ingredients, among which were honey, wine, raisins, resin , 
myrrh, and sweet calamus. While it was being mixed, holy writings 
were read to those engaged in the operation. According to Plutarch, 
apart from its mystic virtues arising from the magical combination of 
4x4, the sweet odors had a benign physiological effect upon those who 
offered it." (Enc. Brit, xii, 719). 

See Censer; Altar of Incense; Altar of Burnt Sacrifice. 

Initiation* "There existed in the more civilized countries of 
Greece, Asia and Egypt a secret or mystic system, preserved generally 
by an hereditary priesthood, in temples of long established sanctity, and 
only revealed under the most solemn vows of secrecy, to persons who 
had previously proven themselves worthy of the important trust." 
(Knight). Among these, the best known was that called Mysteries of 
Eleusis, in Attica. As far as can be learned, the members being bound 
to secrecy by the most solemn oaths, the idea was to induct the candi- 
date, by means of symbolic objects and representations, into "the 
knowledge of the God of Nature; the first, the supreme, the intellectual; 
by which men had been reclaimed from rudeness and barbarism to 
elegance and refinement, and been taught not only to live with more 
comfort, but to die with better hopes." (Ibid). This is essentially the 
basis upon which all initiations are founded. Be the symbols what 
they may, the representations as different as black and white, the forms 
as complex as a problem in differential calculus or as simple as common 
addition, the general principles of all that taught or teach morality are a s 
the Eleusinian. This is practially the same as the explanation given 
by the Noble Grand in his lecture to Initiates. 

Says Cicero, (de legibus, II, 14), " Nothing is better than those mys- 
teries by which, from a rough and fierce life, we are polished to gentle- 
ness (humanity, kindness) and softened. And Initia, as they are called, 
we have thus known as 'the beginnings of life' in truth; not only have 
we received the doctrine of living with happiness, but even of dying 
with a better hope." (Dunlap). 

Honor to parents was enjoined and kindness to animals. A crim- 
inal could not be initiated. Not even Nero, the great and terrible 
Roman emperor, dared present himself at the Eleusinia. The murder 
of his mother stood in his way. 



INITIATION. 151 



From the above, it is evident that these mysteries, though without 
Christianity, or its Mosaic antitype, taught morality of the 'highest grade. 
The fact is known, though the manner in which it was imparted is "lost, 
that within the highest circles of the mysteries a religion was also taught. 
Some claim, with very good reason, and with most convincing argu- 
ments, that Moses had been initiated into the Egyptian mysteries, and 
had a perfect knowledge of the religion therein taught, and what in 
Egypt was entirely esoteric, was made exoteric in the wilderness about 
Sinai. He, Moses, developed a ritualistic religion, which it has been 
discovered, through excavations in the Egyptian ruins, had many points 
of resemblance to the Egyptian hieratic. 

Baron Portal says there were three principle degrees in the ancient 
initiations. The first degree was represented by the colors green, black, 
and deep blue, to indicate the world born from the depths of the primi- 
tive waters. Blue color associated with black is the attribute ofjthe 
initiator (conductor) destroying the gates of spiritual death by the 
power of Truth. Three days of regeneration corresponding to the three 
celestial spheres are also found in the ancient initiation, with their 
three symbolic colors, red, blue, and green, indicative of fire, air, and 
earth. 

To die, says Plutarch, is to be initiated into the great mystery. A 
passage in Themistius, cited by Stobeus, states likewise that the mys- 
teries were the image of life and death. In Egypt, as elsewhere, this 
took place in the night. In the Isiacs, the recipient was first conducted 
to the bath and purified by certain ablutions; after ten days' probation, 
he was introduced by the priest into the adytum of the sanctuary. " I 
have approached the confines of death," says Apuleius, " Having crossed 
the threshold of Proserpine, I have repassed all the elements. At mid- 
night, the sun appeared to me shining with a brilliant light." The 
initiated, by becoming regenerate, die to all carnal passions. The 
baptismal waters signify the temptations, or spiritual combats, against 
falsehood and evil, struggles which precede all regeneration. Baptism 
took place at night, because it represented the primitive and dark waters 
which gave birth to the world. Thus the moral creation of the neophyte 
had its emblem in the creation of the universe. 

The second degree of initiation, figured by the color blue, indi- 
cated spiritual regeneration. The neophyte received the baptism of 
the Spirit, marked on the Egyptian anaglyphs, by blue color. 



152 ISAAC. 

The third degree was the baptism by fire. In the paintings on the 
temple of Thebes, the names which enter into eternal life receive on 
their heads baptismal waters, red and blue. This triple baptism 
appears also in the Gospels. St. John, the Baptist, says (Matt. 3rd and 
nth), "I, indeed, baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that 
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to 
bare; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." (Sym- 
bolic Colors). 

While initiations employ symbols and symbolic actions and words, 
the act itself is also symbolical, being almost invariably a search for 
truth, or more specifically, the knowledge which is derived from truth. 
It also typifies deliverance from the darkness of ignorance, to the sub- 
lime light of the knowledge of self, of duty, and of destiny. 

IniU The Hebrew word malon, translated inn, signifies literally "a 
lodging place for the night." Inns, in the sense we use the term, were 
and are unknown in the East. The well-known hospitality of the East- 
ern people precludes the necessity for such places of entertainment, 
except when great caravans are to be accommodated. For these are 
provided, usually at the expense of some very wealthy sheik, great cara- 
vansaries, which are hardly better than uncovered stock yards, having, 
however, roofed-in, shallow booths about their four sides. In these, 
the only attention the traveller has is that he gives himself. There is 
little in common between such inns and the "lodging place for the 
night" in the story of the good Samaritan, which doubtless was a private 
house, and which has become among Christian people the symbol of 
refuge, shelter, and safety. 

See Samaritan. 

Insignia* The jewels of officers. While insignia, as jewels, 
have no symbolical meaning, and are but attributes of the officers 
wearing them, they, in themselves, are still more or less emblematical. 

See their titles as emblems; see Attributes. 

Isaac* Hebrew pH!P> he laughs. A patriarch, son of Abra- 
ham, and father of Jacob and Esau. Two incidents in the life of the 
patriarch Isaac are interesting to Odd Fellows. One in which Isaac 
figures as a sacrifice to the Lord has been beautifully depicted by the 
artist Rembrandt. The painting, now in the Hermitage Museum, St. 



ISABELLA. 153 



Petersburg, shows Isaac lying bound upon the heap of fagots; Abra- 
ham, kneeling, with one hand upon his son's face, is about to give the 
fatal blow, when the angel of the Lord strikes the knife from his hand. 
A large ram is seen in the background, entangled in a thicket. The 
other incident relates to the obtaining of a wife. This appears to have 
been done in the usual Oriental fashion. Neither of the most interested 
parties have any choice in the matter. The whole affair is arranged 
between the parents, and executed by a trustworthy friend or servant. 

Isaac is, by general consent of the Christian church, taken as a rep- 
resentative of the unobstrusive, restful, piously contemplative type of 
human character. Later Judaism, with its attention fixed upon the 
altar scene, regards him as the pattern and prototype of all martyrs. 
The German symbolist Goldziher, attempting a mythological inter- 
pretation, sees in Isaac a personification of the smiling light of the 
ruddy evening sun. (Ency. Brit.) 

Isabella. It is difficult at this time to determine from the ritual 
just which Isabella is there referred to; there being several queens of 
that name of more or less note. It may be that Isabella who was 
Queen of Spain, 1833-1868, whose moral character approximated that 
of the other queens with whom she is classed, but whose greatness does 
not by any means accord her the appellation of "earth's mightiest." 
Nor does any other one of the historic Isabellas. That Isabella, how- 
ever, who was conjointly with her husband, Ferdinand, monarch of 
Castile and Leon, 1474-1504, is the one to whom all thoughts turn 
at the mention of the name. Surnamed "the Catholic," that is "the 
pious," she was as good as she was beautiful. Misled, in her extreme 
piety, she made some great mistakes of a religio-political character 
which, doubtless, would not have been committed under other in- 
fluences than those with which circumstances surrounded her. As a 
world influence in the sense Elizabeth, Cleopatra, or Catherine were 
she was indeed insignificant. As a world influence for good and for the 
benefit of mankind, she towers above all modern historic women. The 
name of the one who recalled the scorned Columbus, and said, " I will 
assume the undertaking for my own crown of Castile, and am ready to 
pawn my jewels to defray the expense of it, if the funds in the treasury 
should be found inadequate, " will never be erased from history's rolls. 
To the end of time, whatever else she may have been, her name will 
shine as of gold alongside that of the great discoverer. 



154 JACOB. 



Israel* See Jacob. 



Israelite* Specifically a descendant of the patriarch Jacob, who 
was called Israel because of his night-long wrestle with the angel of the 
Lord. The "certain man," spoken of in our Lord's parable of the 
Good Samaritan, is very frequently referred to as " the Israelite," not 
only to differentiate him from his "neighbor," but emphasize the fact 
of his being of the same people as the priest and the Levite. Christen- 
dom has taken this unfortunate victim of robbers as the symbol of 
suffering humanity. 

See Good Samaritan. 

44 J" The tenth letter of the English alphabet. It is frequently 
interchanged for I. The Hebrew \ yod, occupies a similar place in 
that alphabet, but is never sounded as J, its pnoetic value being identical 
with the English Y. 

Jacinth. A precious stone which forms one of the foundations of 
the New Jerusalem. Rev. xxi, 20. By some it is identified with the 
ligure of Ex. xxviii, 19. The revised version of the Bible has it 
Hyacinth, which is but another rendering of the same Greek word. The 
jacinth is one of the many varieties of zircon, being the red, while others 
are of a pale green, yellowish, reddish-brown, gray, or white color. The 
fetish of the Mohamedans, the Kaaba stone, at Mecca, is, by a legend, 
said to be a jacinth, which fell from heaven at the fall of man, and was 
recovered from the slime after the deluge, and presented to the Patri- 
arch Abraham, while its color was changed from the whiteness of purity 
to the blackness of sin. It has, however, the appearance of being of 
volcanic origin, and it may have been an aerolite. 

See Ligure. 

Jacob. Hebrew, 2 p t£ *l , one who seizes the heel, or supplants. 

He was the younger of the twin sons born to Isaac by his beloved Re- 
bekah. The other was Esau, who, by a scurvy trick, at the instigation 
of their mother, was cozened of his inheritance and his father's blessing 
by Jacob. Doubtless these things would have come to Jacob without 
such deceit, as God's promise had been given him, but he and his mother 
were distrustful and impatient and sought the blessing in a manner that 
brought with it trouble, sorrow and fear. 



JEWELS OF OFFICERS. 155 

Genesis, from Chapter xxv, Verse 24, to the end is devoted to the 
history of Jacob and his sons. In the life of Jacob two incidents stand 
in high relief as indicating his nomination by God as the progenitor 
of His chosen people. One, the vision of the ladder with its ascending 
and descending angels, and the Lord standing above it blessing him, 
occurred when Jacob was hastening from the parental home to escape 
the wrath of Esau, and incidentally seek a wife among his relatives in 
Padan-aram. The other happened him while on his return to Canaan. 
Having sent his family and stock ahead in the night, "Jacob was left 
alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the 
hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as 
he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. 
And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said 
unto him, What is thy name ? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy 
name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven 
with God and with men." (Gen. xxxii, 24-28). Israel, the prince that 
prevails with God. 

Jacob's Ladder. See Ladder, Jacob's. 

Jasper. Heb. H B E^ > yashpah, a precious stone dedicated to 

the tribe of Zebulon, and therefore occupying the third place in the 
second row on the jeweled breast-plate of the high-priest. Its charac- 
teristics as specified in Rev. xxi, 11, are that it was "most precious" 
and "like crystal" and in Rev. iv, 3, that it was a stone of brilliant and 
transparent light. The stone we call jasper does not answer this de- 
scription, which the diamond does, for our jasper is of a dull greenish 
color. It was the pagan belief that the jasper would win its owner a 
favorable answer to prayer. The mediaeval lapidaries supposed that 
the jasper was obtained from the head of an asp, or as they called it 
aspis, hence the word jasper. 

Jewels of Officers. These are all symbolic in character, yet with 
few exceptions do not have any emblematic reference to the officer 
himself, but are merely attributes or badges, arbitrarily chosen to dis- 
tinguish the wearer. Their symbolism is treated in detail under the 
titles of the objects they represent, not the officers. 

See also Attributes. 



156 JOURNEY OF LIFE. 



Jerusalem* Hebrew, D/E^Ti Yerushalayim, city-of-peace. 

Said to be the ancient royal city of Melchizedek, the priest-king, which 
was taken by King David from the Jebusites. It is built upon the 
two ridges of a mountain in the central part of Palestine. The western 
ridge or peak is called Zion, the eastern Moriah. It was upon the bald 
top of the latter that Isaac was offered by Abraham in sacrifice, that 
Aruanah had his threshing floor, that David offered expiatory sacrifices 
to stay the destroying angel, and where Solomon erected his temple. 
Here was the center, about which revolved the religious life of the Jews, 
and here close to their one holy place were congregated the most 
powerful and intellectual of that people, and here Jesus suffered ig- 
nominy and torture. To the Jew, to the Christian, and even to the 
Musselman, Jerusalem is the " Holy City." 

Jesse. Hebrew, ^ffl, wealthy. The father of David, and through 

him the ancestor of Jesus Christ. He is sometimes mentioned as the 
type of a well-to-do agriculturist, at other times as the father of kings. 

Jonathan* The gift of Yahveh. The eldest son and presumptive 
heir of King Saul, and commander in his army. He was famous as a 
warrior, and much beloved by the people, as was evinced by their 
interposition when Saul would have sacrificed him for eating honey 
during a day of battle; Saul having uttered a rash curse upon any of 
his army who should stop to eat while the battle was on. i Samuel iv, 
24. The most interesting part of Jonathan's life, that which most 
exhibited the greatness of his character, was his intimacy and friendship 
for Young David. From the day the young shepherd slew the giant 
Goliath, the champion of Gath, there was nothing that Jonathan would 
not do to further the interests of his friend. Knowing well, that while 
David lived (1 Sam. xx, 30-33), he never would be king, Jonathan risked 
his own life more than once in securing the safety of his father's par- 
ticular aversion. The story of his ruse of shooting three arrows against 
the side of the stone Ezel, is told in 1 Samuel xx, 19 ff. The beauty of 
Jonathan's behaviour towards David has caused him to be acknowl- 
edged as the supreme type of unselfish generosity and friendship. 

Journey of Life. " In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils 
of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, 
in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils on the sea, in 



KEYS. 157 

perils among false brethren; in weariness, in watchings often, in hunger 
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." (2 Cor. xi, 26-27). 
Truly a rough and rugged journey was that of St. Paul's, but not an 
exaggeration of the weary way of life to many. The rugged journey 
is symbolical of the journey from the cradle to the grave. While the 
greater part of the way is rough and bitter, much of it can be smoothed 
and sweetened by a cheerful heart and a determined spirit, upheld and 
supported by Faith, Hope, and Charity. 

Judith* Hebrew, rV*TT PP* "Jewess." The heroine of the apoch- 

ryhal book of the same name, wherein she is represented as an 
inhabitant of Bethulia, and described as very beautiful. Her native 
city being besieged by an army of Assyrians under Holofernes, in 
great distress, she made her way to the enemy's camp, under the pre- 
tence of wishing to betray her people. Gaining admission to the 
general's tent owing to her extraordinary beauty, she made it pleasant 
for him for four days, leaving the camp at night under pretence of 
praying. The fourth night she beguiled the general into allowing her 
to spend the night with him, when, after he had fallen into a drunken 
stupor, she decapitated him with his own sword. She and her servant 
then made their escape, carrying the head with them, her practice of 
going without the camp each night favoring them. Her people encour- 
aged by the sight of Holofernes' head, made a sudden onslaught upon 
the Assyrians, who fled at once, leaving much spoil behind them. In 
the Book, Judith appears as an ideal type of piety, ch. viii, 6 ; of beauty, 
ch. xi, 21; of courage and of chastity, ch. xvi, 22 ff. 

** K" The eleventh letter of the English alphabet was derived from 
the Greek K, kappa. In the middle-ages it was used as a numeral of the 
value of 250, and with a line over it, K, 250,000. The Hebrew phonetic 
equivalent p, koph, stands for 2^*|p, Kodesh, "Holiness." 

Keys* While simply the badge of the treasurer, the key has long 
been emblematic of security. Crossed keys are the attribute of St. 
Peter, signifying that he is the keeper of the gates of heaven. (St. 
Matt, xvi, 19). The pope assumes the same as a badge of similar 
power. 

The key, in heraldic use, is frequent in the arms of ecclesiastical 
institutions dedicated to St. Peter. Keys are also symbolical of con- 



158 KNIFE. 

cealed knowledge. Mohamed uses them in this sense. "God," he 
says, "well knoweth the unjust. With Him are the keys of the secret 
things; none knoweth them beside Himself." (Koran, chap. vi. See 
also chap, xlii.) 

With the Jews, the key is the symbol of authority; for he who holds 
the key, holds the house and all there is in it. 

Cross-keys were the badge of the Roman pilgrim, as the cross was 
that of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the scallop-shell of that to 
Compostello, Spain. 

The classic nations considered the key a symbol of silence. Soph- 
ocles alludes to it in the (Edipus Coloneus, where the chorus speaks of 
the "golden key which had come upon the tongue of the ministering 
hierophant in the mysetries of Eleusis." The priestesses of Ceres, ac- 
cording to Callimachus, bore a key as the ensign of office, and the key 
was, in the Egyptian mysteries, symbolical of the opening or disclosing 
of the heart and conscience before the forty-two assessors of the dead. A 
key was presented by a Roman to his bride, as a symbol of her authority 
in the house, and only reclaimed by him on the occasion of a divorce. 
(Mackenzie). 

King of Salem. See Melchizedec. 

Kneeling. We bend the knee only to the Great Author of our 
existence, and to Him in reverence for His all-comprehending love, and 
as a sign of gratitude for its exercise towards us. It was not the custom 
in ancient times to assume this, attitude towards men, nor was it till the 
rulers had assumed the attributes and prerogatives of deity that kneeling 
was introduced, and rendered peremptory upon worshippers. True 
humility needs assume no special form, but the act of kneeling has been 
for thousands of years associated with submission. As God does not 
demand it of us, it is superfluous to pay such deference to man, and it 
can only be interpreted as an impulse of instinctive adoration. 

The wisest of the ancients were the Egyptians, and upon their mon- 
uments, the act of adoration is always depicted as in a standing posture. 
They had no fear of God, but desired and expected His love, and loved 
him in return. In the case of the Pharisee and the Publican, in the New 
Testament, a standing posture is implied. 

Knife* As a symbol, the knife signifies, ordinarily, murder or 
martyrdom. In a better sense, it is emblematic of sacrifice, and is 



LADDER, JACOB'S. 159 



particularly the attribute of Zadkiel, the archangel who stayed the hand 
of Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac. Zadkiel (righteousness of 
God,) is, according to the Jewish rabbins, the name of the angel assigned 
to the planet Jupiter; there being seven angels assigned to as many 
planets. 

44 L" The twelfth letter of the English alphabet, has a numerical 
value of 50, and with a dash over it, L, equals 50,000. The Hebrew 

equivalent p , lameth, represents as the name of God,"^?, 
Limmud, "Doctus." 

Ladder, Jacob's* This is an old and discarded emblem of the 
M. U., and it is doubtful if it was ever used by the Order in America, 
though numerous charts published during the early days exhibit it. 
The vision of Jacob, wherein he saw the angels of the Lord ascending 
and descending a ladder, and the Lord, himself, standing at the top 
thereof, appears to be a reference to that sacred "mount of assembly" 
mentioned by Isaiah. The traditions handed down by the priest-kings 
of the Mesopotamian plains indicate the existence of a great and sacred 
mountain to the north-east, which was supposed to unite the heavens 
and the earth, while the blending of its summit with the sky gave rise 
to the phrase " celestial earth." This mountain was the prototype of the 
many pyramidal structures which dotted that region and Egypt. It also 
explains the ancient desire to worship upon "high places." The far 
eastern pyramids were built in stages or platforms, usually seven in 
number, decreasing in regular progression from the bottom to the top. 
Such were not unknown in Egypt. Indeed, the Egyptians had an 
hieroglyph for it. A ladder having seven rounds. Says Dr. Miller, 
"The pyramids in stages, like the. tower of Borsippa, were an express 
imitation of the traditional mount, which was thus regarded as a moun- 
tain of degrees or stages. The Egyptian hieroglyph of such a pyramid 
signifies "a ladder," and was only another mode of reference to the 
paradisiacal mountain. According to Scandinavian mythology, the 
bridge Bijrost unites the heaven and earth. At the destruction of the 
world the final ruin of everything is when the giants jump upon the 
bridge of Bifrost, breaking it down. But afterwards, a new heaven and 
earth appear. . . . The Scandinavian mythology, derived from 
the ancient Asgard, has preserved perfectly the notion attached to the 
primitive Har-Moad. Long since the doctrine of 'a succession of 



160 LAMB. 

worlds' extensively prevailed in antiquity, and it obviously arose from 
the idea of successive reconstructions or reorganizations of the heaven 
and earth on the principles of the primitive cosmos, thus replacing 
the ladder of communication between God and man. {Rev. O. D. 
Miller, Har-Moad, p. 423). 

u The Persian mysteries had a ladder of seven rounds, the passage 
over them being symbolical of the soul's approach to perfection. The 
rounds of this symbolic ladder were made of different metal, increasing 
in value as they ascended. Each was dignified with the name of its 
corresponding planet, and its symbolic sphere, as follows: — Lead, 
Saturn, First World. Quicksilver, Mercury, World of Pre-existence, 
Copper, Venus, Heaven. Tin, Jupiter, Middle World. Iron, Mars, 
World of Births. Silver, Moon, Mansion of the Blessed. Gold, Sun, 
Truth. 

In the Brahman books we find a ladder of seven steps, wherein 
there is also the allusion to the cosmos. The first step was the Earth; 
the next the World of Pre-existence; the third was Heaven; the fourth 
represented the Middle World; the fifth the World of Births, or Regener- 
ation; the sixth, the Mansion of the Blessed ; while the sventh, the highest 
round, was the Sphere of Truth, and the abode of Brahma. 

Lamb* From the first the lamb has been the symbol of the Saviour. 
It was his prototype in the Old Testament days, and the title " Lamb of 
God" was given Him direct by St. John, Baptist. As a general symbol 
it signifies modesty, purity, innocence, and meekness. 

The lamb formed a very important part of almost every sacrifice of 
the Jews. Cj. Ex. xxix, 38-41; Num. xxviii, 9-1 1; xxix, 2, 13-40. 
The peculiar feast of the passover was celebrated by the sacrifice of a 
lamb, or kid, with whose blood the side-posts and lintel of the house- 
door were sprinkled. (See Cross). The lamb was roasted, whole, and 
the entire family, girded as if for a journey, with staffs in their hands, 
and their shoes upon their feet, partook of the flesh. It would appear 
that it was eaten standing, and in haste, as if ready to depart. The 
whole was to be eaten if possible. If not, then what was left had to be 
burned in the morning. Not the smallest morsel was to be carried out 
of the house. Ex. xii, 1-^; xiii, 3-; xxiii, 14- ; xxiv, 18-; Lev. xxiii, 4-; 
Num. ix, 1-; xxviii, 16-; Deut. xvi, 1-. The slain lamb typified Christ, 
"the Lamb of God," slain for the sins of the world. Christ " our pass- 
over is slain for us." 1 Cor. v, 7, "Not a bone of him shall be broken." 



LAMB. 



161 



The lamb was to be a symbol of unity— of the family, of the nation, of 
God with His people, whom He had taken into covenant with Him. 
From being the antitype, the lamb, after Christ appeared, became His 
symbol. St. John, Baptist, greeted Jesus on his first appearance in 
His character of Redeemer, with the remarkably symbolic words— 
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." 
Symbolic, because the lamb, as above, was sacrificed as a propitiation 
for the sins of the people; symbolic, because Christ was also to be sacri- 
ficed for the same purpose; symbolic yet, in its character of gentleness, 
innocence, meekness, and purity, in which it was a type of Christ's char- 
acter. 




^*&j^$$r'i i j / ' ' 



73. The Lamb. 



The lamb was an emblem of the old First or White Degree. Bro. 
Grosh says— "It represents the primal state of man, and reminds us 
that if we would enter the paradise yet left us, we must regain, as far as 
possible, that primitive state of soul— 'a conscience void of offence 
toward God and toward men.'" 

The Church, recognizing the beauty of the symbolism, as well as 
its adaptability, early introduced St. John's aphorism into the ritual, 
and many small medals, having a lamb bearing a flag impressed thereon, 
have been blessed by the priests and worn upon the breasts of the people 
as a defence against physical danger. To a small extent this device, 
called the "Agnus Dei" is used in Heraldry. 

11 



162 LEFT HAND. 



As an emblem of the Patriarchs Militant, the lamb is displayed 
in opposition to the lion, (see) and symbolizes the peaceful side of the 
motto "Pax aut Bellum." 

Among the many old superstitions of the English, it is a good omen 
on Easter morn to see a lamb on first looking out of the window, es- 
pecially if it is looking toward the house. It is not so good, however, if 
its head is turned from the house, or if it is lying down. It is lucky 
at any time to meet a lamb, for it must be remembered that the devil 
can take any other shape or form but that of a lamb or dove. 

See Escutcheons of the Patriarchs Militant. 

Lance, or Spear. In eastern Asia lance-heads are emblematic 
of the power of reason, which is the spiritual weapon of the will. With 
the classic nations, a lance was symbolical of male destructive power, and 
emblematic of Mars, the god of war. 

See Spear. 

Leaves, Falling, "I have seen the leaves fall and lie thick upon 
the ground." A most beautiful metaphor of decay and death. As 
man grows old he loses vigor and strength, his flesh shrinks, his skin 
shrivels, he weakens, and finally, losing his hold upon life, as the leaf 
loses its hold upon the tree, he falls to the ground, and soon with the 
leaves, "the wind sings a sad requiem over his decay." 

Christian symbolism, following that of the ancients, makes use of 
the fallen leaf and its color as emblems of death. By experience, says 
La Colombiere, we perceive that when the herbs and the leaves of the 
trees begin to wither, they fade from their vendure into a yellow. The 
blue, the color of heaven, which gives them life, is evaporated, they 
become of a dark yellow, and for this reason we term them dead leaves. 
The dead leaf is also the symbol of moral degradation, as the green 
leaf is that of regeneration. 

Left Hand, The agrimensor, or land surveyor of the classic 
nations, when starting his work always stood with his back toward the 
North so that he might look over the ground in the same direction as the 
gods, whose abode was supposed to be towards the North. For this 
reason the term left hand was applied to the East. The same obtained 
in Egypt, probably for the same reason. 

The left hand was considered generally among the ancients the 
symbol of equity and justice. Apuleius says that one of the priests of 



LEVITES. 163 

Isis in the procession " bore the symbol of equity, a left hand, fashioned 
with the palm extended, which seems to be more adopted to administering 
equity than the right, from its natural inertness, and its being endowed 
with no craft or subtility. It may be noted here that the "Hand of 
Ulster," the insignia of the British baronets, is a left hand, open and 
palm to the front. 

Level. The result of the relations of Odd Fellows to one another in 
the work and duties which bind them to a common cause, is that they 
"stand upon a level." The rich and the poor; the learned and the 
unlearned; the brilliant and the slow, are all equal as men and brothers 
in this great fraternity. " A common level of interests and social stand- 
ing fosters unconventional ways of thought and speech, and friendly 
human sympathies." (/. R. Lowell, Among My Books, 2nd, Ser. p. 205). 

Levi* Hebrew, *>) 7, joined. The name of the third son of the 
patriarch Jacob by his wife Leah. From him descended Miriam, 
Aaron, and Moses, the great leaders of the Exodus. Their descendants 
under the name of Levites formed the powerful priestly order of the 
Jews. Jesus Christ was not of the line of Levi, hence He is spoken 
of by Paul as "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." (Heb. 
v, 6; 10; vi, 20). Levi with his older brother Simeon are named 
by Jacob on his death bed, "weapons of violence," because of their 
cowardly cruelty to the Schechemites. (Gen. xxxiv). 



Levites. Hebrew D^")/- The descendants of Levi, the third 



son 



of the patriarch Jacob. At times, however, the eponym was restricted 
to the priestly caste alone, that is, such as were descended through 
Aaron, who had the sole right to act as priests. At another time it 
distinguished that portion only of the tribe who were not priests. In 
the wilderness, the formation of the priest-craft, as arranged by Moses, 
was: — 

The priests, direct descendants of Aaron, who was himself the 
grandson of Kohath. The Kohathites, who as nearest of kin to the 
priests, held the highest offices, and had in charge all the vessels of the 
santuary, bearing them, as well as the ark of the testimony, on their 
wanderings. The Gershonites, who bore the tent coverings and the 
curtains. The heavier appurtenances, such as boards, bars, and pillars 
of the tabernacle, were carried by the children of Merari. 



164 LIBERTY. 

The tribe was not supposed to do any secular labor, but was sup- 
ported by tithes levied upon the produce of the other tribes. Upon 
entering the promised land, they were assigned to some forty-eight 
cities. The wanderings having ended, the service of the sanctuary 
fell upon the sons of Aaron only. Under the Monarchy there came a 
complete reorganization. The Levites became the gatekeepers, vergers, 
sacristans, choristers, of the tabernacle and the temple. Their duties 
were " to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of Jehovah, 
in the courts, and the chambers, and the performing of all holy things." 
(i Chron. xxiii, 24-32); "to stand every morning to thank and praise 
Jehovah, and likewise at even." Also "to offer all burnt sacrifices to 
Jehovah on the Sabbaths, and on set feasts." That is, to assist the 
priests. 

Having greatly increased in numbers, they were divided into 
twenty-four courses, each in turn serving in the temple for a week. 
Outside the temple their principle business had become that of scribes, 
teachers, and transcribers and interpreters of the law. 

Liberty. "Restored to liberty" does not mean liberty to do as one 
pleases, regardless of the rights of others. It does not mean liberty to 
fall into excesses, either of the stomach or lust. As St. Paul says, 
"Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an 
occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is 
fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- 
self. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not 
consumed by one of another." (Gal. v. 13-15). This is sufficient 
evidence that the great apostle was an Odd Fellow. One may take the 
whole ritual, and in boiling it down find the sum total contained in this 
extract, which, explaining the symbolic act of " restoration to liberty," 
sums up the entire law of the Order, as it does the law of Christianity, 
which Paul preached to his martyrdom. It may be asked, why then is 
it necessary to spread this law over so many pages of ritual, and divide 
it into so many degrees, with so much display and talk? We answer 
with another question. Does the navvy use a tack-hammer to drive a 
rail-spike into an oak tie? It is said that dropping water wears the 
hardest rock away. Yet it takes many, many more than a single drop. 
The bald statement of the golden rule will not cause one to immediately 
act upon it. One must absorb the idea, digest and assimilate it. It 
must pass into his blood, into his heart, aye, into his soul, so that it is 



LIGHT. 165 

a part of his very nature, before he can give up his self to another in the 
spirit of the rule. Therefore, is it, that we have our degress, our em- 
blems, our symbolic representations and lectures, to the end that by the 
constant dropping of ideas, by the heavy sledging of precept and ex- 
ample, we may "imbue a man with proper conceptions of his capa- 
bilities for good; enlighten his mind; enlarge the sphere of his affections; 
and lead him to the cultivation of the true fraternal relation designed 
by the Great Author of his being." 

Light. The extinguishment of a candle-light is a portion of the 
much dreaded excommunication ceremony of the Latin Church. It 
symbolizes the casting out into utter spiritual darkness of the person so 
treated. Throughout the Greek Church candles are lighted when the 
Gospel is read, not for the sake of the light; for it may be mid-day, 
but as a symbol of spiritual joy. The Roman order always celebrates 
the communion with lights, typifying that light, without which one 
gropes as in darkness, even though it be broad daylight. This use of 
light has obtained from the first centuries of the Christian era. Most 
writers believe it to have been adopted from the necessities of the perse- 
cuted disciples of the infant church being compelled to worship secretly 
in caverns and catacombs, and the beautiful significance then given 
them was accepted and their use continued when no need for illum- 
ination was required. 

Light, in a symbolic sense, is that which diffuses knowledge, instruc- 
tion or information, or these may be the light itself. In the ancient 
mysteries a reverence for light, as an emblematical representation of the 
Eternal Principle of Good, was predominant, and the neophyte was 
carried through darkness while receiving preparatory instructions, to 
be finally "restored to light" when he was invested with full knowledge 
of the divine truths which had been the object of his labors. (Mackey). 
In all these initiations, doubt, weakness, ignorance, evil, anything, in 
fact, that was disagreeable was classed as and represented as darkness, 
while all things good and true, wisdom, knowledge, emanated from 
and was light. Our Lord used it in this sense when He said — "Let 
your light so shine before men that they may see your good works." 
(Matt, v, 1 6). In other words, tell what of good you know, show what 
good you can do, so that others may know and do good also. 

When Moses came down from the mountain, after his interview 
with the Most High, his face shone with so glorious and intense a light 



166 LIGURE. 

that he was compelled to don a veil, for all the peoples' eyes were blinded. 
Mohamed sought to imitate this, but he was so clumsy at it that but one, 
the apostate monk Bahira, alone could see it. Not a soul else in all 
that crowded market place was aware of anything extraordinary about 
him. Later he, Mohamed, announces that he has ordained the Koran 
"for a light." (Koran, xlii). 

Genesis assigns to light and to darkness separate empires. "And 
God divided the light from the darkness." The ancient Persians at- 
tached every idea of the good and the beautiful to the first, and of evil 
and disorder to the second principle. This dualism is found in every 
religion. Plutarch observes this in his Treatise on Isis and Osiris,,, 
and it has been confirmed by modern students. The Persians named 
the one Ormuzd, the other Ahriman. "Ormuzd," says the Zend- 
Avesta, "is raised above all. He was with sovereign Knowledge and 
purity, the Light of the world. His throne of light, — this place inhab- 
ited by Ormuzd, — is that which is called primitive light. Ahriman was 
in the darkness with his law, and the dark place which he inhabited is 
that which is called primitive darkness. He was alone in the midst of 
them, — he who is called the wicked." (Boun-Dehesch, p. 344). 

These two principles, isolated in the boundless abyss, unite them- 
selves, create the world, and thence their powers received limits. 

The laws of Manou taught the Indians that the world was plunged 
in obscurity; that the Lord, self -existing, shining with the purest bright- 
ness, appeared and dissipated the obscurity. The Pimander, a work 
upon Egyptian doctrines, exhibits the same dogma. The light appears, 
it disperses the darknesses which change into the humid principle. In the 
traditions preserved by the Greeks, Osiris is the luminous god, the god 
of light. His name, according to Plutarch, signifies " he who has many- 
eyes." Amon was the light revealed, the word divine, Iamblichus says 
that in the Eygptian mysteries, the Supreme Being, the God of Truth 
and Wisdom, took the name of Amon when He revealed Himself to the 
world in His divine light. (Portal, Colors). 

See Aureole; Darkness. 

Ligtfre* Heb. DE^/> leshem. This stone occupying the first place 
in the third row of jewels on the high-priest's breast-plate was inscribed 
with the name of Dan. What the real character of the stone desig- 
nated by the term leshem might have been it is impossible to say, but 
the concensus of opinion makes it the red variety of tourmaline, known 



LILY. 



167 



as rubellite. Rubellite, being a hard stone, is frequently mistaken for 
sapphire. It is probable that the jacinth, a precious stone forming 
one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem, (Rev. xxi, 20), was identi- 
cal with the ligure. 

See Jacinth; Sapphire. 

Lily» Wherever seen in Christian art, there is but the one signifi- 
cation to this symbol, charity and purity. It is an attribute of the 
angel Gabriel. They tell a queer story of one of the Burgundian 
princes, who, after resisting Christiantiy for a long while, was eventually 
converted and at his baptism an angel brought him three lilies, as em- 
blems of purity and regeneration. From this time three fleurs-de-lis 
were charged upon the arms of France, in place of the three toads 
(crapauds) which had been there. 




74. The Lily. 

Another story, given by the "Ancient Heralds," says Newton, 
"tells us that the Franks of old had a custom, at the proclamation of 
their king, to elevate him upon a shield or target, and place in his hand 
a reed or flag in blossom, instead of a sceptre, and from thence the Kings 
of the first or second race in France are represented with sceptres in 
their hands like the flag with its flower, and which flowers became the 
armorial figures of France." (Aveling's Boutel, 148). The lily is also 
used as the attribute of the Virgin Mary. 



168 LION. 

As the Rev. John W. Venable, Chaplin to the Sovereign Grand 
Lodge, puts it, in his Eulogium on the Golden Age of Odd-fellowship, — 
" the lily, as an emblem of purity, is a virtue emanating from the Spirit 
of God, and, as a symbol of His manifestation to humanity, it fittingly 
adorns our Temple." 

The name lily seems to be given in the Bible, to any brilliantly 
colored flower of lily-like form. An anemone, a ranunculus, or a tulip 
passed under the general name of lily. 

Links* See Three-Links. 

Lion* This is another symbol of Christ, as the Lion of the Tribe 
of Judah. It is also a symbol of the resurrection. This significance is 
derived from an old Eastern tradition, which says that the cub of the 
lion is borne dead, and is licked by its sire until on the third day it comes 
to life. The lion is also the attribute of St. Mark, for several reasons. 
As he declares himself at the commencement of his gospel, " the voice 
of one crying in the wilderness;" and he makes apparent also, the 
royal dignity of Christ, of which the king of beasts is a type, as well as 
the resurrection of the cub, which is recalled by the resurrection of the 
Lord, and of whom the saint was the historian. 

The lion is variously referred to in the Scriptures as emblematical 
of strength, courage, fierceness, and vigilance. Reference is frequently 
made in the Old Testament to Judah being a lion. Such indeed was 
Judah's in comparison with the other tribes. Judah was the backbone 
and main-stay of the army, and the lion is a fitting badge for the best of 
fighters. 

Like many other emblems, the lion symbolizes characters diametri- 
cally opposed. As we have seen, it is a symbol of our Lord in Revela- 
tions, who " prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals thereof." 
On the other hand, its fierceness and cruelty cause it to be used as a 
symbol of a fierce and malignant enemy. Ps. vii, 7; xxii, 21; lvii, 4; 
2 Tim. iv, 17. "Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh 
about seeking whom he may devour." (1 Pet. v, 8). 

Among the old pagan nations, the lion was among the "accessory 
symbols of Bacchus, though most commonly the emblem of Hercules or 
Apollo, it being the natural representative of the destroying attribute. 
Hence it is found upon the sepulchral monuments of all nations, both of 
Europe and Asia; even in the coldest regions, at a vast distance from 



M. 



169 



the countries in which the animal is capable of existing in the wild 
state." (R. P. Knight, Anc. Art. 75). 

In Heraldry, the lion ranks first among the animals employed. He 
is supposed to symbolize nobleness of character, courage, and gener- 
osity. Again he represents command and monarchical dominion. Upon 
the Dispensation of the Grand Annual Movable Committee of the 
Manchester Unity, confirming the Duke of York Lodge's Charter to 
Wildey, et al, may be seen a lion, as the dexter supporter to the royal 
arms of Great Britain. 




75. The Lion. 



Pugin, a great student of Heraldry, says of the different poses in 
which the lion is displayed in arms, that "couchant, the lion is the 
emblem of sovereignty; rampant, magnanimity; passant, resolution; 
guardant, prudence; salient, valor; sejant, counsel; regardant, circum- 
spection. 

As an emblem of the Patriarchs Militant, displayed opposite the 
lamb, the lion symbolizes "war." Together they illustrate the motto, 
"PaxautBellum." 

See Lamb. 

Lodge Room* See Ark, Noah's. 

Love* Degree of ♦ See Brotherly Love, Degree of. 

44 M." The thirteenth letter in the English alphabet stands as a 
Roman numeral for 1000, and with a stroke over it, M, for 1,000,000. 
The Hebrew Q, mem, signifying water, is used for the numeral 40. It 



170 



MANNA. 



is also used in Latin and Hebrew for an indeterminate (usually large) 
number. The Hebrew sacred name for this letter is *"pQD> meborach, 

"Benedictus." 

Manchester Unity Coat of Arms. As an indication of the heraldic 
source of the emblems of Odd-fellowship, the arms of the Manchester 
Unity are worth study. It is most likely that the emblems were in 
use long before they were combined in this achievement, but the edu- 
cation, prejudices, and inclination of all Englishmen are more or less 
favorable to heraldry, and as every emblem not heraldically derived, 
has its match in heraldry, (see) it is but a natural step to put them in 
heraldic conjunction. 




76. Manchester Unity Coat of Arms. 



The shield is red, with a bordure of oak-leaves, and bears the 
Heart-and-Hand, Hour Glass, Skull and Cross-bones, the Lamb, and 
the Lion upon it. For supporters, it has two Odd Fellows with white 
sashes. (Scene Supporters). The Crest is the Dove with Olive Branch, 
upon either side of which is displayed a Globe and a Crescent. The 
motto is " Amicitia, Amor, et Veritas." 

For the symbolism see the various titles. 

Manna* Hebrew (manhu), What is this? A miraculous deposit 
found by the Israelites upon the ground, every morning during their 
wanderings about Sinai. (Exodus, xvi, 14-36). It was almost their 
only food for the forty years, and failed at once on their reaching the corn 
fields of Canaan. It fell during the night. "And when the dew that 



MEN. 171 
* 1 — 

lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness a small round 
thing, small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of 
Israel saw it, they said one to another, What is it? For they wist not 
what it was." (v. 14-16). "It was like coriander seed, white, and the 
taste of it was like wafers made with honey." (v. 31). 

Some modern commentators identify it with the exudations of the 
tamarisk tree. Others claim it is a lichen, which, torn from its native 
rock and carried immense distances by the wind, is today gathered 
and eaten by the Bedouins of the Sinaitic peninsula. Most students, 
however, accept the idea of its being a special and miraculous creation, 
for there is no thing now known that will answer fully the description 
given in the Bible. 

The word manna is now applied to any delicious food for either 
the body or the mind. In the Christian Church, manna is often con- 
sidered as symbolical of divine or spiritual food. 

See Ark of the Covenant. 

Meat* As used in the ritual, as well in the Bible, the word meat 
has the significance of food in general. This, its original meaning, has 
become almost obsolete, being now used with rare exceptions, only 
in reference to the flesh of mammals. 

Melchizedek. Heb. pHiT'^D, king of righteousness. In 

the Old Testament history, a king of Salem and a priest of the most 
high God, who entertained and blessed Abram, and received presents 
from him. (Gen. xiv, 18-20). His relation to Christ as type and anti- 
type is discussed at length in the Epistle to the Hebrews, v-vii. Their 
likeness appears in that each was a priest, but not of the tribe of Levi; 
both were superior to Adam, the friend of God ; the beginning and end- 
ing of neither are known; while both were not only priests, but kings of 
righteousness and of peace. 

Memento. Something used to freshen memory, or to remind one 
of some certain thing; specifically a souvenir. Mementos are very often, 
though not necessarily, emblems. On the other hand, all emblems are 
mementos. 

Men. Certain men are often used as emblematic of others, or as 
typical of certain nationalities or characters. For instance, Samuel 
Pepys, an English politician and diarist of the eighteenth century, is 



172 MEPHIBOSHETH. 



used as a type of a gossiping man. Julius Caesar is the great type of 
an emperor. 

See Adam; Melchizedek; Moses. 

Mephibosheth. To Odd Fellows the type of the helpless orphan. 
He is not mentioned by name in the ritual, yet as the " seed " of Jona- 
than, the story of his life has so direct a bearing upon the teachings of the 
Order, that it is worthy of noting here. 

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul. His 
life seems to have been an unfortunate one. When but five years old, 
his father and grandfather were slain on the mount of Gilboa, in a battle 
with the Philistines. His nurse, hearing the ill tidings of Saul and 
Jonathan, took him up and fled. In her haste she let him fall and he lost 
the use of both feet, becoming a cripple for life. (2 Sam. iv. 4). 

He found a home with Machir, a powerful Gaddite, the son of 
Ammiel, who was some time in alliance with Saul. Machir brought 
him up and saw him married, and evidently supported him entirely, as 
from his crippled condition he was incapable of such employment as 
comported with the dignity of the son of a king. Neither as a husband- 
man nor as a soldier could he make himself useful, and the business of 
the household could not be expected of him, as that was woman's work 
entirely. 

When Jonathan and David met beside the Stone Ezel, and weeping, 
renewed their vows of Friendship and Love, in the name of the Lord, it 
was a covenant, not for a day, not for a year, but for eternity. Not only 
for their immediate selves, but for their children and their children's 
children for all time. 

"Between my seed and thy seed forever," was a part of the bond. 
That it was meant and that it was remembered is clearly shown in 
David's treatment of Mephibosheth. (2 Sam. xvi, 1-4; xix, 24-30). 

After David was firmly fixed upon the throne, he remembered his 
vow, and calling his councillors, he demanded : " Is there any yet that is 
left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's 
sake?" They brought him a man named Ziba, who had been a ser- 
vant to Saul, and who told him of Mephibosheth, and of his circumstances 
and condition. 

David sent at once for the son of his friend, and gave him " all that 
pertained to Saul and to all his house," and made Ziba and his whole 
family, some twenty in number, servants unto him. Furthermore, to 



MOON. 173 

show his love for Jonathan, David made Mephibosheth one of his own 
family, giving him a home in his house and requiring him to eat at the 
royal table, as one of the king's sons. 

Later when David became a fugitive during Absalom's rebellion, 
and Ziba slandered his master to the king, telling him a very plausible 
tale, in his sudden anger, David commanded that all that belonged to 
Mephibosheth should be given to Ziba. But the king's gentle, loving 
spirit could not allow it to remain so for long. Soon he sought and 
heard the other side, and at once restored the orphan to favor and to his 
property. 

And yet again, when the Gibeonites demanded the lives of seven of 
Saul's descendants as an atonement for Saul's persecutions, David 
spared Mephibosheth, and found the son of one of Saul's concubines to 
take his place. 

That Odd-fellowship, in fact, though perhaps not claimed as such, 
is more than a modern invention, is particularly well shown in this beaut- 
iful example of brotherly love and patriarchial kindness. The dealings 
of both Machir and David with Mephibosheth well illustrate that portion 
of the Golden Promise of the Order, "To be a father to the fatherless." 

Mercy Seat* See Ark of the Covenant. 

Miriam. Sister of Aaron and Moses, called in the Ritual a " vestal 
prophetess." She is a type of zealous devotion. Her title in Exodus 
xv, 15, is "Miriam, the Prophetess." Her prophetic power was of the 
same order as that of Samuel and David ; poetic, musical, and dramatic. 
The term vestal refers to the virgins who were consecrated to the service 
of Vesta, one of the divinities of ancient Rome. During their thirty 
years of service, they were bound to chastity and religious work. Proba- 
bly the author of the ritual used the term in the sense that this implies ; 
that is, a woman of spotless chastity, devoted entirely to the service of 
religion. He surely did not intend to rate her as a pagan. It may not 
be quite so euphonious, but virgin prophetess would have been more 
correct, as not affecting the peculiar character of her religion, nor in- 
volve an anachronism. 

Moon* According to the Medieval astrologers the moon influences 
melancholy, and causes wounds, robberies, and dreams. 

The seventh or last stage of the great tower of Birs-i-Nimrud, at 
Borsippa, was dedicated to the moon, and was evidently plated with 



174 MOON. 

silver, the color assigned to that orb in the fancy of the ancient Chaldaean 
astronomy. The classic nations considered the moon (in Greek, 
Selene) as the sister of the sun, (Helios) and personified it in Diana, the 
goddess of hunting. As the twin sister of Apollo, the sun, she was the 
daughter of Jupiter and Latona, or the night. Seemingly "she was 
both male and female, both heat and humidity; for the warmth of the 
moon was supposed to be moistening, as that of the sun was drying. 
She was called also the Mother of the world, and the daughter as well 
as the sister of the sun; because the productive powers with which she 
impregnated the former, together with the light by which she was 
illuminated, were supposed to be derived from the latter. By attracting 
or heaving the waters of the ocean, she appeared the sovereign of humid- 
ity; and by seeming to operate powerfully upon the constitutions of 
women, she equally appeared the patroness and regulatress of nutrition 
and passive generation; whence she is said to have received her nymphs, 
or subordinate personifications from the ocean; and is often represented 
by the sea-crab." (R. P. Knight, Anc. Art.) 

" Nine changes of the watery star have been 

The shepherd's note, since we have left our throne 

Without a burden." 

— Shakespeare, W. T. i, 2, 1. 

The Egyptians used the cat as a symbol of the moon, both because 
of its fecundity and its power of seeing in the night. For the same 
reason the Hindus utilize the hare for their symbol of the same deified 
planet. 

"Throughout paganism, in every quarter of the globe, there appears 
to have been a singular notion of the inter- communion between the 
earth, the moon, a ship, and a floating island. The earth was a greater 
world; the ark a smaller world; the earth, a greater ship or floating island. 
But the lunette was the astronomical symbol of the ark; therefore the 
moon became at once a ship, a floating island, and a celestial earth." 
(Dr. G. S. Faber, Or. Pag. Idol, iii, 13). 

" On the seventh day of the feast of tabernacles .... they 
walk out in the light of the moon to learn what will happen to them 
during the year." (Hospinianus, de Fest. Iud. I, 53). That the Jews 
believed in the moon's presaging of events, there is ample evidence in 
the figurative language of the Bible. Cf. Isa. xii, 10; Joel ii, 31; 
Matt, xxiv, 29; Mk. xiii, 24. 



MOON. 



175 



"The sun and moon are often introduced together in representa- 
tions of the crucifixion, as symbolical of the great powers of nature 
adoring the Lord of the universe ; or veiled and eclipsed in the darkness 
that was over all from the sixth to the ninth hour, when the earth did 
quake and the rocks were rent, and all nature shuddered at the deed 
enacted. Though the face often represented in sun and moon is 
sufficiently, though involuntarily, grotesque it bears record to the belief 
current in the Middle Ages, that each was the home of an archangel, 
who was in turn the leader of thousands of the angelic host. Thus the 




77. The Sun And Moon. 
From Hulme. 



sun was the abode of Michael and the moon of Gabriel." (Hulme, 
Sym. Chr. Art. 214). 

The health, growth, and development of children and animals 
were years ago supposed to be influenced by the moon. If the sign was 
right at the time of birth, they would be well formed and intellectual, 
but if it was wrong there was no telling what sort of creatures they would 
become. Every worthless fellow, every ill-tempered dog, rooting hog, 
fence-jumping cow, or kicking horse was believed to have been born 
under an unfavorable phase of the queen of night. Queer people or 
such as were of hateful disposition were children of the dark moon, with 
the sign below the heart. 

See Crescent; Moon and Seven Stars; Silver: Sun. 



176 



MORIAH, MOUNT. 



Moon and Seven Stars* The starry host of heaven is often used 
as the emblem of the universe; and in times when men believed in the 
stellar influences, the presence of the stars had a deeper meaning than 
now appears, as they would represent to them a watching, guarding, 
and guiding Providence. This emblem of the Rebekah degree is evi- 
dently an old landmark of the Order. One of those received from the 
old English Order with many other good things- It is not known from 
whence it was originally derived, though at least one English family 
displayed a crescent and seven stars upon its shield, yet it is entirely 
probable that it was taken from the sign of the inn, at which one of the 
original lodges first held its meetings. It is a curious coincidence that 
the mother lodge (No. i, Washington's) met first at "The Seven Stars," 
in Balitmore. 




78. The Moon and Seven Stars. 



This emblem symbolic of the "music of the spheres," typifies 
order, exactitude, and harmony. like the moon and stars, which have 
their individual paths through space so arranged, that while giving 
mutual light and heat in all directions, there is no interference, no 
obstruction, no discord, all being subordinate to the controlling sun; 
Odd Fellows live and act, without interfering with the rights and happi- 
ness of others, always having in mind that they are subordinate to the 
control of the " Great Author of their being." 

Moriaht Mount. Moriah, chosen by Jehovah ; hill of the Lord. One 
of the hills of Jerusalem, and upon which Solomon's temple stood in all 
its gorgeous beauty; where God appeared to David "in the threshing 
floor of Araunah, the Jebusite." Josephus says, that upon this same 
mountain was the very spot of the sacrifice of Isaac. . 



MOSES. 177 

Mount Moriah is often referred to, emblematically, as " the mount 
of the assembly," the Har-Moad, of Isaiah, xiv, 13. 

Mortality t Emblems of* Besides those used in the Order, there are 
quite a number of such emblems used in art, both ecclesiastically and 
lay. The favorite emblems, as in the Order, seem to be bones, few or 
entire skeletons. 

" An uncouth, hideous thing, nothing but bones, 

Flesh being turned to dust, and bones to sticks." 

— George Herbert. 

Then there is the "reaper, Death, who with his sickle keen," mows 
down the rich, the poor; the learned and the unlearned; the young and 
the old. Sometimes he is drawn as a fairly healthy and vigorous elderly 
gentleman, but usually as a most hideous and disgustingly shriveled 
living skeleton. The scythe, his symbol, is often shown alone. A 
broken column well symbolizes the broken life, the ruined support of the 
family. A loosened cord, a broken bowl, a shattered pitcher, are all 
indicative of the uselessness of the clod that was once a useful and valued 
man. A riven tree is also a fine emblem of this kind. The urn refers 
to the Roman custom of preserving the ashes of the dead after cremation, 
as well as the later custom of preserving the heart. The torch, when 
held erect, an emblem of eternal life, becomes the symbol of death when 
reversed. As a symbol of eternity, the serpent is often seen with his tail 
in his mouth, thus forming a complete circle, the accepted emblem of 
everlasting life. As a rare symbol, the shrouded chrysalis with the soar- 
ing butterfly just above it, presents a beautiful illustration of death and 
the resurrection. 

Moses. Hebrew H^D> ^oshe. The leader and law-giver of the 

Jews, learned in all the knowledge of the Egyptians, the adopted son of 
the Pharaohs, the intimate — as far as man ever was — of God, by his 
self-sacrificing devotion, and the subordination of himself, is taken as 
the type of unselfish meekness. "At a subsequent epoch he became the 
unattainable ideal of a prophet." (Graetz). 

He was a man, who, considered merely in an historic light, without 
reference to his divine inspiration, exercised more extensive and per- 
manent influence upon the destinies of his own nation and 
mankind at large, than any other individual recorded in the annals 
of the world. To his own nation, he was chieftain, historian, poet, 
12 



178 MOSES' ROD. 



law-giver. And he was more than these ; he was the founder of their civil 
existence. Others, who are credited with the foundation of republics, 
had somewhat of an established community from which to build, or may 
have been voluntarily invested with authority through choice of the 
people who were suffering the disagreeable incivilities of anarchy. Moses 
had first to collect his people ; to free them from bondage ; to train them 
for years, that they might be able to govern themselves; and finally, to 
lead them to a country in which to settle, before he could form his 
commonwealth. 

The principle trait of his character was meekness (Num. xii, 3), or 
rather, as the word meekness should be rendered in these days, disin- 
terestedness. In all that we read of him, we find no case where he 
failed to forego his own personal intersts for his nation, for his brother 
Aaron, for someone else, thus showing himself as the most perfect of 
Jewish patriots. He was a slave with his people; he forgot his own 
safety to avenge their wrongs; he desired all of them to be endowed 
alike and himself no more than others. When God offered to destroy 
his nation, and proposed making of him a great nation, he prays (Exo. 
xxxii, 32) that they be forgiven. "If not, blot me, I pray thee, out of 
Thy book which Thou hast written." Even when convinced that he 
would have no share in the glorious settlement of the land promised 
to Abraham, he let not his zeal for his people abate, in the least. 

Moses was intrusted with the whole household of God (Heb. iii, 
2, 3), and spake mouth to mouth with Jehovah, while other prophets 
saw, or heard Him only in dreams or visions. He was at once Deliverer, 
Law- Giver, Priest, Teacher, Leader, and Judge. His prophetic gifts 
controlled, provided, inspired, and regulated all these functions, and 
he was an eminent type of a still greater prophet to be raised up in 
Israel from among the brethren as a Redeemer of his people; as a 
Mediator between them and God; as a Teacher, and a Law- Giver; as 
receiving the fullest communications from the Father; as the Revealer 
of a new name of God; and as the founder of a new religious society. 

Moses' Ark* See Ark, Moses'. 

Moses' Rod* This is an emblem of the old Third or Royal Blue 
Degree. It is symbolic of authority and power. 

Rev. A. B. Grosh says: "It represents the rod used in the wonders 
which Jehovah wrought, by the agency of Moses, for the deliverance 
of his people; and thus reminds us of that great law-giver — the virtues 



NEIGHBOR. 179 



he illustrated, and the true friendship and self sacrifice he manifested 
on so large a scale." (Manual, 135, edit. '69). 

Mother of Samson* A "mother in Israel," whose meeting with the 
angel whose name was wonderful is recorded in Judges xiii. She is a 
type of abiding confidence. 

Mount Hor* See Hor, Mount. 

Mount Horeb* See Horeb, Mount. 

Mount Moriah. See Moriah, Mount. 

Mouth* The mouth covered by the hand signifies secrecy; when 
one finger only is placed over it it indicates silence. The Hebrew word 
n8> P e > signifies both mouth and door. The Egyptian hieroglyph 
for mouth is also used as a symbol of door. The same occurs in the 
Coptic, a modern language derived from the old Egyptian. 

Mystic Chain* To form the mystic chain the brethren stand in a 
circle and each crosses his arms in front of his body, grasping with his 
right hand the left hand of his left hand neighbor, and with his left hand 
the right of the neighbor on the right. Which arm is atop is highly 
important, yet dependent upon the particular organization in which 
the ceremony is enacted. It is a symbol of close fraternity in a common 
brotherhood. 

** N t " The fourteenth letter in both English and Hebrew alphabets. 
The Hebrew J, nun, signifies a fish, and as a numeral 50. In medieval 
Latin N was the Roman numeral 900, and with a line over it, N, 90,000. 
The Hebrew appelative connected with J is ^"llJ> "Formidabilis." 

T 

Naomi* The wife of Elimelech and mother-in-law of Ruth. The 
name is translated both as "my delight" and as "sweetness.' Naomi, 
in a time of famine, went with her husband and two sons into the land 
of Moab, where the sons took unto themselves wives of the Moabites. 
The three men died, and Naomi returned to her own land, accompanied 
by Chilion's widow Ruth, who could not be persuaded to remain away 
from her mother-in-law. Naomi on leaving Moab desired to be 
known as Marah, which is "bitterness," instead of Naomi, "pleas- 
antness." 

Neighbor* See Samaritan. 



180 NINE. 

Night* See Darkness. 

NimbtlS* A variant of the aureole or glory. It has the significa- 
tion of sanctity. While the aureole surrounds the whole person, the 
nimbus is confined to the head, and is the attribute of canonized saints, 
the aureole being an attribute of the Godhead only. The use of the 
nimbus appears to be world wide. All the European nations, both 
ancient and modern, have and do use it. It is found on the monuments 
of Mexico, and is invariably placed about the heads of their gods and 
goddesses, by the Navajo Indians of the Southwest. In early times, 
the nimbus, instead of sanctity, was emblematical of dignity and power, 
and in some Byzantine work even Satan is represented as wearing one. 

There is a fresco of the Last Supper, in the apse of a Greek church, 
in which all the apostles, save Judas, have nimbi of a bright color. He, 
poor lost betrayer, has a nimbus as black as the gloomy path of Erebus, 
the valley of the shadow of death that leads to Hades. (Hulme). 

As the symbols of sanctity in Odd-fellowship are confined to the 
particular emblems of the Almighty, it is an aureole, not a nimbus, that 
forms the "Blaze of Light and Glory." 

See Aureole. 

Nine* The Chinese, conceiving the world as a celestial earth, 

In alloting the soil, nine lots 



divided it into nine squaresi 



formed a well; four wells made an enclosure; and four enclosures con- 
stituted a community. In the grand divisions of the empire the same 
thing obtained, as it was divided into nine provinces, ruled by eight 
mandarins and the emperor who governed the central square. They 
have nine orders of mandarins, and nine great canals, as well as in their 
large temples and public buildings three doors in each of three walls. 

Mohamed, when endeavoring to recruit his following from Chris- 
tian people, averred that he had Jesus lower a table from heaven laden 
with nine cakes of bread and nine fishes. 

The ancient Scandinavians seem to have held the number nine in 
some veneration. They named nine worlds; Muspel, Asgard, Vana- 
heim, Midgard, Alfheim, Mannheim, Jotunheim, Hel, Niflheim. Heim- 
dal had nine sisters for his mothers, ^gir had nine daughters. Nine 



NUMBERS. 181 



Valkyrjas helped Helgi in a storm and saved his ships. Halfdan, the 
old, had nine + nine sons, of which nine were born first and nine after. 
And so on, instances too numerous to mention here are found in the 
sagas of the Vikings of old. (Du Chaillu). 

Among the classic nations, nine also was accounted sacred. Pytha- 
goras noticed many of its peculiar permutations in mathematical cal- 
culations, and philosophized upon it. He noticed the manner in which 
it reproduced itself by the addition of the digits in the results of multi- 
plication, and made it the symbol of the circumference of a circle, be- 
cause every circle has 360 degrees, and 3+6-1-0 = 9. As the symbol 
of versatility and change, and the emblem of the frailty of life, the 
ancients held it in great fear, considering it a bad presage, as do many 
of the superstitiously inclined hold the number thirteen today. Hence, 
they avoided numbers wherein nine appeared, and were particularly 
averse to the number eighty-one, the square of nine. 

There were, in ancient cosmography, nine spheres. There were also 
nine muses or goddesses who ruled over poetry, art, and music. They 
were the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. Calliope was the muse 
of epic poetry; Clio, of history; Erato, of erotic poetry and mimic imita- 
tion; Euterpe, of lyric poetry; Melpomene, of tragedy; Polyhymnia, of 
the sublime hymn; Terpsichore, of choral song and dancing; Thalia, of 
comedy; and Urania, of astronomy. 

According to the great theologians, there are nine choirs of angels 
in heaven. Dionysius, the Areopagite, divided them into three hier- 
archies, in this order; 1. Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones; 2. Dominations 
Virtues, Powers; 3. Princedoms, Archangels, Angels. 

Odd-fellowship has nine working degrees; four in the subordinate 
Lodge, three in the Encampment, one in the Rebekah Lodge, and one in 
the Patriarchs Militant. 

Noah. Hebrew, J^3, rest, or comfort. The son of Lamech, and 

the second father of mankind, the representative of the human race. 
St. Peter calls him "a preacher of righteousness." (2 Pet. ii, 5). 

Noah's Ark, See Ark, Noah's. 

Numbers. The fascination, or predilection, for the use of certain 
numbers, is a curious outgrowth of the practical application of them to 
some important purpose, now almost, if not entirely, lost sight of. It 
can usually be accepted, however, if no other reason is known, that they 



182 NUMBERS. 



have an astronomical bearing. Their symbolism is confined to no age, 
and to no nation. The almost divine sanctity allowed the number 
seven, the great regard for the number three, is sufficient alone to attest 
the attention paid by many eminent scholars to their symbolism. All 
the philosophers of old used them in their teachings, while the mysteries 
were to a great extent based upon or controlled by them. All the 
ancient religions held certain numbers as sacred. The Christian relig- 
ion with its prototype, the Mosaic, is permeated with them, and in the 
everyday life of the layman, certain numbers have their important 
influence. 

Of all the teachers of the symbolic characteristics of numbers, 
probably Pythagoras was the greatest, though he was not the originator 
of this class of philosophy, having derived the greater part from Egypt 
and the East, where he had spent many years in study. It is from his 
disciples that we know his work, as he only taught orally. His theory 
was that numbers contain the elements of all things, not excepting the 
sciences. They are the invisible coverings of things as the body is the 
visible. Being the primary cause upon which the whole universe rests, 
he who knows numbers, knows at once the laws through which nature 
exists, for all things proceed from numbers. Plato, also, philosophized 
upon numbers, and called him a happy man who comprehended their 
spirituality, and understood their mighty influences. Numbers, he 
claimed, are the "cause of all harmony, and of the production of all 
things." Iamblichus and the Neo-platonists expanded upon this 
theory. The Gnostics took it up, and school after school followed. 
The great doctors of the early Christian church appear to have believed 
in "the wonderful virtue and efficacy in numbers, as well for good as 
for evil." (C. A grip pa, Oc. Phi). 

Any one familiar with the Bible, will realize the many instances 
of certain numbers occurring in connection with things or happening 
of a familiar character. The question as to whether this was coinci- 
dental or from supernatural design, was much discussed by the Fathers 
of the Church, and the disposition was to admit its supernatural origin. 

In Christianity the peculiarity of the application of numbers is 
very noticeable. "One is the numeral indicating the Unity of the 
God-head; Two points to the hypostatic union; Three to the Blessed 
Trinity; Four to the Evangelists; Five to the Sacred Wounds; Six is 
the number of sin; Seven that of the gifts of the Spirit; Eight that of the 
Beatitudes; Ten is the number of the Commandments; Eleven speaks 



OAK. 183 

of the Apostles after the loss of Judas; Twelve, of the complete college. 
Rev. S. Baring- Gould). 

See Three; Seven; Nine; Ten; Twelve; Thirteen; Forty. 

44 0" The fifteenth letter in most modern alphabets. It is said to 
have been derived from the Phenician 'ain, which had a " very peculiar 
and to us unpronounceable gutteral" sound. It had no equivalent in 
the Egyptian or the Hebrew. As a Medieval Roman numeral O stood 
for ii. 

Oak. A sprig or leaf of oak is in many parts of England a badge 
of loyalty. Particularly on May 29th, such badges are worn to com- 
memorate the restoration of Charles II, which occurred in 1660. It 
refers to his concealment in an oak-tree while making his escape from 
a band of Cromwell's men. Not only the character of its timber, its 
strength, hardness, durability, and its usefulness in construction, but 
the very form and habit of the tree, upright and sturdy, with limbs 
thrown straight out from the bole in defiance of gravitation, demand a 
respect that those who are familiar with it do not hesitate to allow. It 
is a frequent emblem of strength and sturdiness, and as such, oak trees 
or their branches are often borne as charges or crests in Heraldry. It 
is in this sense that British sailors are called "Hearts of Oak." 

The Druidical oracle of Dadona, perhaps the most ancient of all 
Greek sanctuaries, was situated in a sacred grove, and the priests pre- 
tended that the responses came from the oaks that composed it. Ac- 
cording to Livy, Jupiter was, in ancient Rome, originally worshipped in 
the form of a lofty oak tree which grew upon the Capitoline Hill. The 
tree was the earliest symbol of their great god amongst the Greeks, and 
we find it frequently represented as such on ancient works of art. " To 
have partaken of the acorns of Zeus was a vernacular expression for 
having acquired wisdom and knowledge." (Philpot). "Whence art 
thou?" demands Penelope, in another tradition, of the disguised Ulysses, 
"for thou art not sprung of oak or rock, as old tales tell." (Odyssey, 
xix, 162). Virgil also speaks of 

" Nymphs and fauns, and savage men, who took 
Their birth from trunks of trees and stubborn oak. 

Jove's own tree 
That holds the world in awful sovereignty." 

^Enied, viii, 315. 



184 OIL. 

In the Eleusinian mysteries the initiates crowned themselves with 
the oak-leaves of Zeus and the myrtle of Aphrodite. 

The oak being the largest and strongest vegetable production of 
the North, it was also employed by the Celtic tribes as a symbol of the 
supreme God. Pliny derives the name Druid from dpu<r } an oak, 
others connect it with darach, the Celtic word for the tree. "The 
principal god of the ancient Prussians was supposed to dwell by prefer- 
ence in the great oak at Remove, before which a hierarchy of priests 
kept up a continual fire of oak logs. The oak was veiled from view, 
like the pictures in a modern continental church, and only shown from 
time to time to its worshipers. The grove where it stood was so sacred 
that only the consecrated were allowed to enter and no branch in it 
might be injured. It is said that the Druids, when an oak died, stripped 
it of its bark and shaped it into a pillar, pyramid, or cross, and continued 
to worship it is an emblem of the god. In Finland, to this day the 
oak is called God's tree." (Philpot). 

The great oak of Mamre, that sheltered the patriarch Abraham, 
is claimed to have been a terebinth, or turpentine tree. It lived 
to an enormous age. Its legendary site is now occupied by an 
offshoot of Abraham's original, and is at the present day an aged 
tree, still held in reverence by Mohamedans, as well as by Jews and 
Christians. 

From its spreading character, which gives a broad and grateful 
shade in the hot climate of the East, it is quite the custom for the semi- 
nomadic people to receive and entertain their friends and visitors under 
an oak. Hence its symbolic character of hospitality. 

Oil. One of the Hebrew sacrificial elements, used in the meat- 
offering, or the "unbloody sacrifice." It symbolized that "the fulness 
of life is of the Lord." It was also used in the anointing of kings, 
prophets and priests by the Jews, which custom has been handed down 
to the present day. The title Messiah, or Christ, meaning anointed, 
was derived from this act. The oil used by the Jews for the sanctuary, 
and for the unction of the priests, was mixed with myrrh, calamus, 
cassia, and cinnamon. (Ex. xxx, 22; 33). In the Christian church, 
the anointing of inanimate objects signifies hallowing or dedicating 
them to God, and the unction of persons symbolizes the bestowal 
of the gifts or graces of the Holy Ghost and personal consecration to 
God's service. 



ONE. 185 

Olive Branch. The olive-branch is the symbol of "peace on 
earth, good will to man." Mrs. Jameson says: "peace and reconcilia- 
tion," which accords well with the incident upon which its origin as a 
symbol is founded ; that of Noah's returning dove with the olive-branch 
in its beak. The great value of the olive to man, has caused it to be 
considered also as the emblem of plenty. In many countries where the 
olive is not a native, the branch appears upon the coins in one or more 
of these symbolic senses. 

The classic nations seem to have thought the olive possessed the 
properties of health and immortality. Hence they crowned the statues 
of their great gods with it, while the victors in the Olympian games also 
had chaplets of it placed upon their heads, as an indication that they 
were consecrated to immortality. 

Athena and Poseidon, being at variance as to which of them should 
name the newly founded city of Athens, referred the question to the 
gods, who in general assembly decreed the privilege to that claimant 
who should give the most useful present to the inhabitants of the earth. 
Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a horse sprung forth, 
But Athena "revealed the spray of gray-green olive, a divine crown 
and glory for bright Athens." And the gods decided that the olive, 
as the emblem of peace, was a higher gift to man than the horse, which 
was a symbol of war. So Athena named the city after herself and 
became its protectress. (Philpot). 

The olive-branch or tree, in Heraldry, is considered as the symbol of 
peace and concord. 

The olive tree grows slowly, but attains a great age. Its appear- 
ance is indicative of tenacious vigor. This is the basis of the Scriptural 
idea of its "greenness" being emblematical of strength and prosperity. 

See Dove. 

One. Pythagoras taught that each number had its own particular 
character, virtue, and properties. 

"The unit, or the monad," he says, "is the principle and the end 
of all; it is this sublime knot which binds together the chain of causes; 
it is the symbol of identity, of equality, of existence, of conservation, 
and of general harmony. Having no parts, the monad represents 
Divinity; it announces also order, peace, and tranquility, which 
are founded on unity of sentiments; consequently one is a good 
principle." 



186 ORDEAL. 

Onyx* Heb. Qfttf? , shoham. There is a difference in the opinions 
of writers regarding the shoham. Some believe that the "beryl" is 
intended, while the majority favor the onyx. The English equivalent 
of shoham is "nail," that is, the finger-nail. It would seem natural 
that the stone formed of alternate striae of red and white is the proper 
one. As usually cut with the semi-transparent white on the surface, 
we find the red shows through with the same delicate effect as does 
the red blood through the grayish-white nails of the human body. It 
takes a high lustre when polished, and is quite a favorite with the gem 
engraver. The Greeks had a legend that Cupid one day finding his 
mother, Venus, asleep, cut her nails with the point of his arrow, and flew 
away. The nails fell on the Indian sands, where the Fates, lest any- 
thing pertaining to the gods should be lost, transformed them into onyx. 

In Christian symbolism, Onyx is indicative of sincerity, and by 
the old pagans was held to be a sure talisman of victory over one's ene- 
mies, and could dispel grief. It occupied the middle of the fourth row 
of jewels on the high-priest's breast-plate, and was engraved with the 
name of Joseph. Two onyx stones were set in the golden ouches or 
buckles of the ephod, and were engraved with the names of the tribes. 
" Six of their names on one stone ; and the other six names of the rest 
on the other stone, according to their birth." 

During the Middle ages, the onyx was considered as a diamond 
imprisoned in stone, which waked only at night, causing terror and 
disturbance to the sleepers who wore it, therefore many would not wear 
or even become possessed of one. 

Opal* A beautiful precious stone of many varieties. Under dif- 
ferent angles of light, the best exhibit a marvellous variety of shades of 
green, blue, yellow, and red. Some emit a firelike reflection, yet at 
times, becoming dull and porcelain-like. Although at the present 
time many people have a strong superstitious prejudice against wearing 
an opal, it was in bygone days held in the highest estimation, for it was 
supposed to combine the virtues of several other gemstones. Under 
the name of thunder stone it was believed to possess the magical virtue 
of conferring invisibility upon him who carried it wrapped in a bay-leaf. 

Open Hand. See Hand. 

Ordeal. The ordeals required of candidates in modern fraternal 
societies are practically figurative only, except in very few instances, 



OWL. 187 

and these are not to be compared in severity with such trials of strength, 
endurance, patience, and courage as are indicated by the word ordeal. 
Ordeal means a trial of physical endurance, ordinarily as a mode of 
deterimining guilt or innocence. The form varied in character, as much 
as the people varied who practiced it, and it was practiced by all nations. 
It is but a few centuries since the most civilized nations required it, 
while it is yet found in parts of the East, and among savage tribes. 

An ordeal consists in testing the effect of fire, water, poison, or 
something normally very hurtful, upon the accused, or compelling him 
to some particularly dangerous feat. Sometimes it was to battle for 
his life against odds. In England a common ordeal was to cause the 
victim to handle red-hot irons, or to walk over red-hot ploughshares. If 
innocent no harm came to him, but if guilty, he burned, and received 
other punishment. At other times he was thrown, bound, into deep 
water; if he floated, he was adjudged guilty; while if he sank, he was 
known to be innocent. It is well to remark, that if the accused had 
any friends a rope was attached to him by which to rescue him if he 
sank. The "ducking of witches," was doubtless a survival of this 
custom, and the phrase "going through fire and water," had its origin 
probably in the same practices. 

Ordeals were abolished in England in the time of Henry III, except 
that of battle, which, strange as it may seem, having lapsed into desue- 
tude for more than three centuries, was suddenly brought up in 1818, 
when a demand for such a trial was made by one accused of a high 
misdemeanor. Needless to say, the law permitting it was at once re- 
pealed. 

In Africa, the ordeal is by poisoned water; in Burma, by burning 
candles; in Siam, by eating rice, and till a very short time ago, the 
Amerind practiced stake-burning and gauntlet-running. 

Ostrich Feathers* See Feathers. 

Ouch* An ornamental brooch or clasp, or any jeweled ornament. 
It is emblematic of connection, of security, of emplacement. Many a 
jewel of beautiful metaphor is set in an ouch of solid fact. 

Owl* The owl appears among other emblems upon the dispen- 
sation granted Grand Sire Wildey by the Manchester Unity. It is 
considered as the emblem of wisdom. A small brown owl was par- 
ticularly common in and about the city of Athens, and thereby became 



188 PARAN. 

the emblem of that city, and an attribute of its patron goddess Athene. 
In Chaucer's time the cry of an owl was thought to forebode death, 
and it was an evil omen if an owl shrieked at a birth. 

44 P/* The sixteenth letter of our alphabet stood for 400, and with a 
dash over it, P, for 400,000. The Hebrew equivalent, Q, pe, or phe, 
has the numerical value of 80, and also denotes a mouth. The Hebrew 
sacred name connected with it is H*"P1D> Phodeh, "Redeemer." 

Palm. "That row of green trees marks the course of Jordan." 
A scene in Palestine at the present day would hardly be recognized 
because of its lack of palms. In Bible times, its dark grayish-green 
tufted head was a most prominent and frequent object in the landscape. 
In a pilgrimage, today, to the Holy Land one sadly misses this tree, 
which in all the stories, legends, and the Bible, was once so plentiful, 
but now only too scarce. In the days of the Crusader and when Jeru- 
salem was under Christian guardianship, pilgrims to the Holy City were 
numerous, and as souvenirs, as well as proof of their journey, they 
always carried home a palm-leaf. Hence the title "Palmer" given 
them. 

The Egyptian moon-god, Thoth, is frequently depicted with a 
palm-branch in his hand, and his priests wore them in their sandals, 
supposedly as a badge of immortality; for the tree is noted, not only 
for its longevity, but because it never drops its leaves. 

Among the Jews, palm-branches were tokens of victory and peace, 
and it was a favorite decoration on the tombs in the catacombs, probably 
because of Rev. vii, 9, wherein are described the glorified of all nations 
" clothed with white robes and palms in their hands." 

The palm-branch as an attribute of the saints of the modern Church, 
is indicative of martyrdom. 

Paran* Or El-paran, place of caverns. A great wilderness to the 
Southwest of Palestine, now, and for ages, known as Bedu et-Tih, " the 
wilderness of wandering." It was the scene of the wanderings of the 
children of Israel before they were permitted to enter Canaan. The 
first mention of this wilderness is in Genesis, xiv, 6, as the place where 
the kings met who raided Canaan as far as Mamre, and took Lot, his 
family, and his goods, which stirred the patriarch Abraham to arm his 
servants and go in pursuit of the raiders. Abram's success and gen- 
erosity are related in the same chapter. This region is usually con- 



PEN. 189 

sidered a desert, but there are many green valleys and slopes amongst 
the hills, and at this day great herds are driven from pasture to pasture, 
as were the Israelites by Moses during their wanderings. The German 
symbolists make El-paran symbolical of homelessness. 

Patriarchal Degree* The word patriarch means "the father and 
ruler of a family; one who governs by paternal right." The principal 
use of the title is to indicate Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the sons of 
Jacob. The heads of families that lived before the deluge are termed 
antediluvian patriarchs. It would appear that the title "pastoral" 
would be more appropriate for this degree than "Patriarchal." The 
candidate is certainly initiated as a herdsman, and not at all in the 
character of a father. 

The action of the degree, while being entirely pastoral in form, 
through its metaphorical, as well as its direct lessons, is symbolical of 
duty to God, to our fellow man, and to ourselves. The Wisdom, 
Strength, and Beauty of Religion, symbolized by the Three Pillars of 
Faith, Hope, and Charity, the guiding and protecting power of the 
Great Shepherd, represented by the Crook; the entertainment of strang- 
ers, illustrated by the Open Tent, all direct attention to the fundamental 
laws of God as laid down in the Decalog, to obey which brings happi- 
ness and a hope in a joyful future, while to reject it exposes one to misery 
and despair. 

Patriarch of the Patriarchs* This refers to Jacob, called Israel. 
At his father's death he became the patriarch of his family; that is "the 
ruling father." As Jacob's sons, in course of time, reared such large 
families, the one great family of Israel became divided into twelve, each 
under its own patriarch or father and ruler, and later developed, by 
their natural increase and by marriage with outsiders, into great 
tribes. 

Patriarchs Militant Escutcheons. See Escutcheons of the Patriarchs 
Militant. 

Pen* As an emblem, the pen usually represented is the goose- 
quill, because it more readily lends itself to the picturesque, and if of 
small dimensions, it can the more easily be recognized. It is symbolic 
of "record," or writing, and is the attribute in Christian art of such 
disciples and saints as were known for their writings. 



190 PILGRIM'S STAFF. 



Pharisees* This was a religious party or sect among the Jews 
at the time of Christ. The name is derived from the Hebrew, D^^TS> 

perushim, separated. They were the Formalists of their times. 
Their every thought, word, and action was required to be absolutely in 
accordance with rules and regulations provided therefor. These laws 
were said to have been formulated by Moses and handed down orally. 
They were so elaborate and minute in their directions, that the obser- 
vance of them was a burden and a pain. Indeed, they were so onerous, 
it was held that most of the Pharisees relaxed their observance in private, 
only to make them more obtrusive in public. Dr. Smith, says, "the 
whole spirit of their religion was summed up, not in confession of sin 
and in humility, but in proud self -righteousness at variance with any 
true conception of man's relations either to God or to his fellow creat- 
ures." (Diet.) The Pharisees were so intent upon the rigid observance 
of the external forms and rites of their religion without regard to real 
piety, that the name has become a by-word for the canting hypocrite. 




80. The Pilgrim's Scrip, Sandals and Staff. 
Pilgrim's Scrip, Sandals and Staff* Together with the gown, the 

outfit of a pilgrim of the Middle Ages to one of the great Christian 
shrines. An ampulle, or water-bottle should also be enumerated. These 
are the emblems of a long journey, and symbolize one which cannot 
be gauged in miles, nor days, nor can its import be known till the journey 
is over, and its results for good or ill be judged. It is the " journey of 
life " that leads from the cradle to the grave. 
See Scrip; Sandals; Staff. 

Pilgrim's Staff* See Staff, Pilgrim's. 



PLENTY. 191 

Pilgrim's Weeds* The dress of a pilgrim. The word weed is 
derived from the Anglo-Saxon word waede, "garment." The peculiar 
costume of the pilgrims to the Holy Land was so distinctive that it 
became practically symbolical of the character of the wearer, or at least 
of his journey. 

Pillars, Three. See Three Pillars. 

Pine. A symbol of immortality and regeneration. Of such are 
"those pines that cluster on the mountain top." The pine-tree could 
not have been a very prominent object in Bible times as we find it 
mentioned only twice in the Scriptures, and then as something desirable 
to have. (Isa. xli, 19; lx; 13), It is not, however, infrequent at the 
present day. 

Because of its never failing greenness, the pine obtained its 
character of immortality, while the fact that the needles drop in the 
spring, giving way to the new, after the manner of mankind which 
continues to live while continually dying, gave it its character of 
regeneration. 

The classic nations used the pine-cone as their symbol of regenera- 
tion. Bacchus is rarely represented without the "thursus," or wand 
tipped with a pine-cone. 

Pink. The color of the Degree of Friendship, as also one of the 
colors assigned to the Rebekah branch. It was the color of the old 
Second Degree. The strongest and most irrefrangible ray of the pris- 
matic spectrum is red, and pink is midway between that and white. 
Emblematically it may be said to be a combination of both. The 
purity of the white being blended with the fire of the red, it takes its place 
in poetry as the tint of life's spring time, when friendships are founded 
on love, ardent and faithful, fervid and pure. 

The symbolists say that pink (rose color) derives its signification 
from red and white. Red being the symbol of divine love, and white of 
divine wisdom, the union of these colors will signify the love of divine 
wisdom. Rose also indicates regenerated man, who receives the holy 
word. In the Bible the rose is used as significant of dew, only the rose- 
tree is the image of the regenerated, while the dew is the symbol of regen- 
eration. 

Plenty. See Horn of Plenty. 



192 PROTOTYPE. 



Pomegranate, " Upon the robe of the ephod, upon the hem of it, 
thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and scarlet, round 
about the hem thereof; and bells between them round about." It may 
be doubted that these pomegranates had really any significance, or were 
placed upon the robe for other -than ornamentation. Josephus says 
that they were symbolical of thunder. Other nations did give them a 
positive symbolic character. The classic nations as well as Egypt, and 
those of the far east, considered them as emblematic of generation. 
They were consecrated to Proserpina, Pluto prevailed upon her to 
eat of them, and she was therefore compelled to spend one-third of the 
year in the under world, and part of the Greek ceremony of marriage 
still consists in many places, in the bride's treading upon a pomegranate. 
(E. P. Knight). 

In some of the mysteries, based upon death and the resurrection, 
the pomegranate when bursting open with ripeness and showing the 
seeds, was emblematical of the future, of hope in immortality, and in 
this sense it is yet used in Christian art. 

See Bells; Blue; Purple; Scarlet. 

Pommel, So named is the knob at the top of the grip of a sword 
or dagger as is also that upon the horn of a saddle. The word is derived 
ultimately from the Latin pomun, apple, fruit. While its design is for 
the eminently practical purpose of aiding the hand in retaining the 
sword when in action, its form when made plain and smooth like the 
apple, has been used as symbolical of discord. In medieval times, the 
pommel held an important place in the general symbolism of the hilt. 
The hilt with a straight guard was a symbol of the cross, and the pommel 
represented the head of it, and a little less directly, the board containing 
the inscription. Many pommels had the initials I. N. R. E. engraved 
upon them. Later the crusaders had their pommels made in the form 
of a celestial crown, the emblem of Jerusalem, the symbol itself of heaven. 
Again many knights had pommels in the form of helmets, the attribute 
of the knightly rank. 

Potsherds, These are symbolical of uselessness. See Golden Bowl. 

Prototype, The original or first form of which others are the 
copies. It may be of a character or of an inanimate object. Thus 
it is said that Melchizedek was the prototype of Christ, in that he was 
a priest of the most high God, a King, and not of the line of Aaron. 



PURPLE. 193 

Again, the tabernacle was the prototype of the temple, because, although 
the temple was much larger, its proportions were identical; its rooms 
were the same; its furniture as well, as also its purpose in the worship 
of God. 

Purple* Heb. ]ftJ1&$, argaman. The color of that En- 
campment Degree called Royal Purple, is one of the secondary colors 
of the spectrum. Being a compound of red and blue, it partakes of the 
qualities of both ; both in its tint and in its symbolism. As a compound 
of the two colors it is emblematic of union. Much that has been said 
under the title "Scarlet," applies as well to purple. Since the day 
when the term purple was definitely applied to the tint now recognized 
as such, this color has been appropriated by royalty. It was indeed, in 
olden times, very expensive. Obtained principally from a small shell- 
fish found upon the shores of the Mediterranean, its manufacture was 
a matter of much time and trouble, as well as its application to fabrics. 
This put it beyond the reach of the commonality, and therefore it was 
almost entirely reserved for royalty and the very rich. Other shades 
of purple, such as amethyst, hyacinth, violet, and those made from 
madder, the cochineal insect or the Arabian kermes (carmine) were not 
so difficult to obtain, and, consequently, were not so expensive,nor were 
they so gorgeous in the depth and beauty of their tints. Royalty, there- 
fore, having practically monopolized the tint, it early became the accept- 
ed sign of imperial power. In ancient Rome, the toga of the emperor, 
or of a conqueror on the day of his triumph, was purple. The old 
pagan nations of the East arrayed their gods in purple robes, while 
from Homer we learn, that purple garments could only be worn by 
princes. 

Quite a different significance is given to purple or violet when used 
by the Church; being in this case typical, not of imperialism but of 
penitence and fasting, passion and suffering, or love and truth. 

Purple, most probably of the shade now known as violet, was much 
used by the Jews in the decoration of the Tabernacle and Temple, also 
in the high-priest's vestments. Josephus says, in this use it symbolized 
the element of water. Portal says, "that purple, in the language of 
colors, signifies constancy in spiritual combats, because blue denotes 
fidelity and red, war." 

Letters expressing sympathy and condolence are sealed with violet 
(purple) wax. 

13 



194 "22." 

44 Q" This, the seventeenth letter of the early Greek, the Latin, 
and the English alphabets, was derived originally from the Phenician. 
As a Roman numeral of the Middle Ages it stood for 500. 

Quail. Hebrew l?^, schlu. Great clouds of quail were once 
sent to the Israelites in the wilderness in answer to their complaints of the 
lack of flesh food. (Exo. xvi, 13; Num. xi, 31, 32). They being so abund- 
ant many of the people surfeited themselves, and quite a few died of it. 
With the Hebrews, the quail was significant of security, because, says 
the Commentators, it lives in the security of the harvest. That is, it 
effectually conceals itself in the standing grain. 

Quiver* A box or case for carrying arrows and sometimes the bow 
as well. From Job's description of the war-horse, one would infer that 
the custom in his day was to carry the bow in the quiver. " The quiver 
rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield." (Job, xxxix, 
23). Here is named all the artillery of a trooper, save the arrows and 
the bow. Had the bow been carried separately, it doubtless would 
have been named with the spear and the shield. In Psalm cxxvii, 5, we 
find quiver used as symbolical of the family, the children being the 
arrows. Isaiah xxxix, 2, makes it a place of hiding. 

The representations of the quiver in both Assyrian and Egyptian 
remains indicate that they were flat, not round. By footmen they 
were slung by a cord over the back, so that the arrows could be reached 
over the right shoulder. Large quivers containing many arrows are 
shown often on the sides of chariots, both in battle and in hunting 
scenes. 

The quiver is a component of one of the emblems of the Degree of 
Friendship; the Bow, Arrows, and Quiver. With the bow it formed 
an emblem of the old Second or Covenant Degrees. It is symbolical of 
preparation and readiness. It is also an emblem of memory, wherein to 
store information for future use. A vacant mind is often likened to 
an empty quiver. In Jeremiah it is also referred to as an open sepulchre. 

"R" The eighteenth letter of the English alphabet is sometimes 
called the canine letter because of its resemblance to a snarl. As a 
Roman numeral, it formerly stood for 80, and with a dash over it, R, 
for 80,000. The Hebrew equivalent, *), resh, which has the numeri- 
cal value of 200, indicates as a name of God, Q^rH* Rahum, " Clem- 
ency.' ' 



RAM. 195 

Rachel. The beautiful wife of Jacob, and the mother of Joseph 
and Benjamin, is used as a type or rather a symbol for all the mothers 
of Israel, in Jeremiah xxxi, 15. 

Rain* Among all nations, tribes or peoples, and at all times, 
moisture has been recognized as one of the elements of production, 
the other element being heat. Heat is the active principle and moisture 
the passive, hence rain, which has always been regarded as the source 
of moisture, is taken as the emblem of nourishment. 

Rainbow* In the thirteenth verse of the ninth chapter of the book 
of Genesis we read: — "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall 
be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." The correct 
interpretation of this, according to the most prominent Bible exegetes, 
is not that He then first made it, but took what had been to man afore- 
time simply an unmeaning, if beautiful object, and consecrating it as 
a sign of His love, and the witness of His promise, made it the token of 
His purpose to never again destroy mankind with a flood. Hence it 
became the symbol of God's faithfulness and mercy. 

The "rainbow around the throne," of Revelation iv, 3; is the 
symbol of hope, the emblem of mercy and love." (Smith.) 

Mr. J. W. Powell says that in Shoshoni, (Am. Indian) the rainbow 
is a beautiful serpent that abrades the firmament of ice to give us snow 
and rain. In Norse the rainbow is the bridge Bifrost spanning the 
space between the earth and heaven. In the Iliad, the rainbow is the 
goddess Iris, the messenger of the king of Olympia. In Hebrew, the 
rainbow is the witness to a covenant. In science the rainbow is an 
analysis of white light into its constituent colors by the refraction of the 
raindrops. (Rep. Smi. Inst., Bu. Eth. 1879). 

Ram* The animal slain and sacrificed by Abraham, after he was 
restrained by the angel of the Lord, from offering up his son Isaac. 
(Gen. xxii, 1-19). Some commentators put forth the theory that as 
"Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it upon Isaac, 
his son," in being placed upon both shoulders, it would naturally lay 
in the form of a decussate cross, and this being an antitype of the cross of 
Calvary, the Lord could not permit the sacrifice of Isaac under its 
protection. Therefore He sent the angel to prevent, and furnished the 
young ram. (See Cross). A young ram occupied a prominent place in 
the sacrifices of the Israelites. It signified for them "The Lord will 
provide." 



196 ROAD FROM JERUSALEM TO JERICHO. 

Rebekah* (Ensnarer). The daughter of Bethuel and sister of 
Laban, was the wife of the Patriarch Isaac. The beautiful story of her 
marriage is told in Genesis xxiv. Being the wife of a patriarch and the 
mother of Jacob, afterward called Israel, from whom all Jews are de- 
scended, she is at times alluded to as an antitype of the Virgin Mary. 

Red* See Scarlet. 

Remembrance Degree* The Fourth Degree of the old work. It 
was practically the same as the present Degree of Brotherly Love, with 
some insistent lessons in regard to remembering what had been taught 
in the preceding degrees. 

See Brotherly Love, Degree of. 

Right Hand. The presentation of the right hand is the general 
emblem of friendship; while among brothers it is the symbol of Fidelity. 
In the ancient Roman Collegice Fabriorurn, the Goddess Fides was wor- 
shipped. The act was symbolically represented by two hands clasped 
together, or by two female figures holding each other's right hands. 
The ancient Persians considered the pledge of the right hand as inviola- 
ble, and any infringement of a promise thus solemnly given, as most 
infamous. In the same manner the right side was, in antiquity, as at 
the present day, esteemed the place of honor. 

See Clasped Hands; Clean Hands; Hand; Heart in Hand; Lejt 
Hand. 

Riding the Goat* See Goat. 

Road from Jerusalem to Jericho* It is a singular fact that the word 

"road," meaning a travelled way, does not occur in the Authorized 
Version of the Bible. When a travelled way is referred to, "path" or 
" way" is used. From the story of the Good Samaritan, " the way from 
Jerusalem to Jericho" has become symbolical of the "way of life." 
The country between these ancient cities was greatly diversified. Hills 
and plains, rocks and soft earth, dust and grassy reaches presented 
themselves in turn to the traveller. To the people of ancient times, the 
rough travelling was not the worst part of the journey. They knew no 
better method of transportation than by camel, which was rough in itself, 
or by the slow-going ass, and most travellers went afoot, but all were in 
constant dread of attack by robbers, and in the days of Roman suprem- 
acy by soldiers. It is needless to draw the comparison to the life of man, 
the simile is too obvious. 



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197 



Robbers* One of the principle occupations of the nomadic tribes 
of the East for centuries is robbery. When Ishmael was banished 
from his father's house it was prophesied that his seed should prey upon 
his brothers for all time. To this day, his children, the Bedouins, have 
succeeded in making the prophecy good. The Mosaic law on the sub- 
ject, Exo. xxii, has never been repealed, and man-stealing was punished 
with death. Exo. xxi, 16; Deut. xxiv 7. In the days of Jesus, robbery 
was not confined to the children of Ishmael. The Roman regime, to- 
gether with the many great caravans which crossed the country of the 
Jews, brought into it many of the worst classes of men. Men who cared 
little for human life could they but secure booty. It is of such charac- 
ters the Messiah spoke in the parable of the Good Samaritan. These 
robbers are often regarded as typical of such at the present day who not 
only boldly waylay the traveller, but by shrew dness and so-called 
"business" methods relieve their unsophisticated dupes of their 
money. 




82. Shekel of Jerusalem. 



Rod* The rod, staff, or wand has been from remote ages a symbol of 
power and authority. The hands of the Pharaohs of Egypt always 
held a rod, and down to the present day it has been in constant use. The 
sceptre of the king ; the baton of the marshal ; the staff of the tipstave ; 
the crook of the bishop, are all examples of the use of the rod as em- 
blematical of authority. 

Though almost every man of the Jewish host, during their wander- 
ing in the wilderness, was a soldier, their leader, Moses, carried but a 
rod. It will be remembered that when the Children of Israel were 
sore pressed by Pharaoh's host, Moses at the command of God, lifted 
up his rod, and the sea parted and they passed over dry shod. (Ex. xv, 
16). Again, when Amalek came up against Israel at Rephidim, it was 
only while Moses held up his rod that the ^Israelites prevailed. (Ex. 
xvii, 8-12). 



198 'ROYAL BLUE DEGREE. 

When it became necessary to prove beyond doubt the high-priest- 
hood of Aaron, the great miracle of the budding of his rod was performed 
(Num. xvii), the memory of which was perpetuated, not only by the 
preservation of the rod, but by placing the device of budding almond- 
flowers upon the shekels of Jerusalem. 

A most prominent example of the use of a rod as a badge of office 
is that of the Black Rod of the English parliament. This is a rod of black 
ivory tipped with a golden ball, borne by the official who carries mes- 
sages to the houses from royalty. He has other duties in connection with 
the House of Lords; in fact he is greatly in evidence when some unusual 
function occurs. His rod being always in hand, in default of a better 
title the official has received as such the name of his badge. Another 
prominent official in English court life is the Gold-Stick-in- Waiting. 

As emblems of authority, the rods of Moses and Aaron and their 
successors are represented, today, in the crooks and crosiers of the 
church. Care must be taken not to confuse these, for they are entirely 
distinct. The crook or pastoral staff is an official badge borne by a 
prelate of the church in his left hand. The crosier, or processional 
cross, is never carried by the prelate, but is borne by a lower grade 
ecclesiastic, if indeed not a lay-brother, in front of him. 

See Bundle of Rods; Crook; Ark of the Covenant; Moses 7 Rod; 
Budded Rod. 

Ik 

Royal Bltte* This was most probably a trade name for the par- 
ticular shade of color obtained by treating common glass with protoxid 
of cobalt. This, being ground to powder and made into a pigment, 
produces a fine and brilliant blue. Sometimes the deep shades of Prus- 
sian blue, produced by the action of light on a solution of ferro-prussiate 
of potass in combination with ammoniated ferro citrate, receives the 
term "royal." 

Royal Blue is the color of the Degree of Brotherly Love, and of the 
old Third of Royal Blue Degree. 

Royal Blue Degree* The Second Degree or Degree of Brotherly Love 
is so called from the color assigned to it. No particular interest attaches 
to the adjective "royal" as it is but a trade name for the color, while 
the material is called smalt. In the old work, the third degree bore the 
title "Royal Blue Degree." Its lessons and metaphors were almost 
entirely carried over to the present Degree of Brotherly Love. 

See Blue; Brotherly Love, Degree of. 



RUTH. 199 

Royal Purple. See Purple. 

Royal Purple Degree. The highest Degree of the Encampment 
Branch of the Order, is symbolical of Faith, and its lessons are em- 
blematical of the Pilgrimage of Life. For the symbolism of its title of 
Royal Purple see under Purple. 

Ruby. In old folk-lore the ruby is the lucky stone for the month of 
July. It is a beautiful red crystal, prized as highly as the diamond, and 
in some instances valued above that noble stone. In Heraldry, the 
ancient term or blazon for red, now called gules, was ruby. The episco- 
pal rings of the Middle Ages were jeweled, and the stones were chosen 
for their significance. The ruby, in the ritual of the Latin Church, 
was indicative of the fervency of burning zeal. 

In antiquity, the ruby was the popular emblem of happiness. If it 
changed its color it was a sinister presage, but it again took its purpled 
tint when the misfortune was past. It banished sadness and repressed 
luxury; it resisted poison, preserved from the plague, and dispelled evil 
thoughts. The materialization of the symbol of divine love, " Red," is 
here very apparent. 

The ruby of the English crown is famous in popular estimation, 
but aside from its history, the connoisseur has grave doubts as to its 
value. Is it a ruby, or is it only a fine and large spinel ? Some people 
call a spinel a spinel-ruby, but a spinel is not a ruby. The ruby, when 
it is more than 3 \ carats in weight and flawless all through, is more 
precious than a perfect diamond of the same size. When it is con- 
siderably larger its value is not to be estimated, and may be anything, 
according to the passion of the collector. But the spinel — a much less 
hard crystal, — even when it reaches the weight of four carats, is valued 
at but half the worth of a four-carat diamond. There are many famous 
rubies, but that which flames in the royal crown is, according to a com- 
mon rumor among experts, the lowlier spinel. 

Rugged Journey. See Journey oj Life. 

Ruth. The great-grandmother of King David and the wife of 
Boaz, is sometimes considered an emblem of the Virgin Mary, because 
she was, in the line of David, an ancestress of the Christ. She is also 
taken as the female type of that intense friendship represented in the 
lives of David and Jonathan, because, with no more apparent reason 



200 SALT. 

than personal preference, she cast her lot with her dead husband's 
mother, and followed her into a strange land. 
See Women. 

44 S" The nineteenth letter in our alphabet had, in the Middle 
Ages, the numerical value of 7, and also 70. With a stroke above it, S> 
it stood for 70,000. The Hebrew equivalent, Q, samech, denotes 60, 

while the sacred name connected with it is TID^O* Somech, "Fulcieus, 
or Firmas." 

Salt. This ancient symbol of the preserving power, was, if possible, 
more indispensable to the old Jews than to us; for it was a necessary 
accompaniment to all their sacrifices. Lev. ii, 13. It was as a covenant 
between them and their God. Among, them, as well as among the 
peoples who occupied the neighboring countries, salt, as an essential 
article of diet, was the symbol of hospitality and binding unity, and no 
guest was permitted to leave without tasting bread and salt; unless 
indeed the entertainers had evil designs against him. The guest leaving 
without having tasted salt therefore took measures for protection, as it 
was a sufficient warning that only by having the power of resistance, 
would he be able to protect his life and save his property. This practice 
prevails to this day. As late as 1878 a traveller with much baggage, wish- 
ing to cross the Arabian desert, sought a local sheik, or chief, to procure 
an armed escort. He was received very graciously, and as the dinner 
hour was at hand, was invited to partake of the meal. Noticing that 
his food tasted rather flat, he took from his saddle bag a small jar of salt. 
It being lumpy, and also perfectly white, the host became interested 
in it, supposing that it was sugar, the native salt being of a dirty yellow 
color, due to impurities. Perceiving his host's interest, our traveller 
offered him a lump, and he thrust it in his mouth. No sooner had the 
sheik tasted it than a look of anger and chagrin overspread his face. 
One of his retainers asked if it was sugar, and received in the most 
disgusted tone the answer, "No! Salt!" This was a most fortunate 
accident for the traveller, for his servant soon discovered that the 
sheik's intention was to have him led astray to some secluded wady, 
there to be killed and his goods appropriated. But thanks to the inviola- 
bility of the covenanting salt, the sheik was compelled to not only 
permit him free passage, but protect him from others. 

In the Middle Ages, churches were consecrated with water, wine, 
salt, and ashes. Water signifying the outpouring of tears, wine the 




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SAMARITAN. 201 



exaltation of the soul, salt symbolizing discretion, and the ashes humility. 

In the Scriptures salt is often used as the symbol of wisdom. " Let 
your speech be seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to 
answer every man." Col. iv, 6. Christ said to His disciples, "Ye 
are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith 
shall ye be salted?" "Your lordship hath some smack of age in you, 
some relish of the saltness of time." (Shakespeare, King Henry IV., 
part 22, Act II, Sc. 2). 

Spilling the salt once meant the worst of bad luck, and today there 
are many people who throw a pinch over their left shoulder "to break 
the charm " if they happen to tip over the saltcellar. The phrase "worth 
his salt" means worth his salary, and the word salary itself means "salt 
money." Because it was so important, old time usages placed the 
saltbox in the middle of the table, so that it might be within the reach 
of all. The "gentles" sat above the salt and the "simples" below it. 

Some trace the beginning of the superstition against salt to the 
picture of "the Last Supper," by Leonardo da Vinci, in which painting 
the saltcellar is represented as overturned. But the superstition is 
older than the picture, and it was undoubtedly because of the super- 
stition that Leonardo introduced the overturned salt in his picture. 

One of Pythagoras's aphorisms is: "Always put salt upon the 
table." That is to say, never lose sight of Justice,but practice it always. 
Dacier, in his life of Pythagoras, says, "As Pythagoras required that 
men should be true and faithful in their words, he required likewise 
with special care that they should be just in all their Actions. He said 
that Salt was the Emblem of Justice; for as Salt preserves all things, and 
prevents Corruption, so Justice preserves whatever it animates, and 
without it all is corrupted/ He therefore ordered that a Saltceller should 
always be served on the Table, to put Men in mind of this Virtue. And 
doubtless this was the Reason that the Heathens sanctified the Table 
by the Saltcellar, which Custom was perhaps taken from the Law that 
God gave to His People ; You shall offer Salt in all your Offerings. And 
who knows but this Superstition that was so ancient, and that reigns to 
this Day, concerning the spilling of Salt, came from this Opinion 
of the Pythagoreans, who regarded it as a Presage of some Injustice." 

Samaritan, The Good Samaritan of the Parable of our Lord is 
held by all to be the highest type of self-sacrificing benevolence. The 
purest charity or love for humanity is here combined with open-handed 



202 SAMARITAN. 



benevolence. The little story told by Jesus in answer to the lawyer's 
question "Who is my neighbor?" contains but little in its words of the 
great depth and intensity of its covert meaning to the questioner. 

" And Jesus answering, said, A certain man went down from Jeru- 
salem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his 
raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And 
by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw 
him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he 
was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other 
side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; 
and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, 
and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his 
own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on 
the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them 
to the host, and said unto him, take care of him; and whatsoever thou 
spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee." 

"Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor to him 
that fell among the thieves ? And he said, He that showed mercy unto 
him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise," Luke 

x > 30-37- 

There is not a word in this of the intensely bitter enmity which 

had existed for centuries between the Jews and the Samaritans; not a 
word as to the customs of the Jews themselves, which prevented the 
priest and the Levite giving succor to the poor victim, yet to the Phari- 
saical lawyer it was clearly patent that Jesus, while illustrating the com- 
mon law of humanity, was administering a reproof to the hypocrisy of 
those Jews, who, by their actions, proved that their religion was merely 
ritualistic, and on the surface alone; not having the spirit and essence 
of the Truth in God. 

Let us first consider the relations of the Samaritan to the Jews. It 
will be remembered that on a time, Jesus, being athirst, said to a woman 
of Samaria, "Give me to drink." And the woman in turn asked, 
"How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest a drink of me, which am a 
woman of Samaria ? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 
John iv, 9. Samaria was for about two hundred years the capital of 
the Northern kingdom, or that portion of the Jews called Israel. In 
B. C. 721 Samaria was captured, after a three years' siege, by Shal- 
monsesar, king of Assyria, and the kingdom of the Ten Tribes was at an 
end. Some years later, the country of which Samaria was the center, 



SAMARITAN. 203 



and which had become literally a howling wilderness, void of inhabi- 
tants and the lair of wild beasts, was repeopled by Esarhaddon. Colon- 
ists from Syro-Macedonia, from Babylonia, and Cutha, and from Ava 
and Hamath, and Sepharvaim, "possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the 
cities thereof." Of course all these colonists were idolaters, with many 
deities, and no apparent knowledge of the one true God. They were 
greatly annoyed by the beasts of prey, whose numbers had increased 
enormously during the many years the land had lain uninhabited. The 
King of Assyria, being informed of their miserable condition, supposing, 
as was natural in those idolatrous times, that it was a punishment sent 
them by the god who presided over that particular locality, sent them one 
of the captive Jewish priests to teach them "how they should fear the 
Lord." History is silent regarding the Samaritans from this time until 
Judah returned from the captivity. They then desired permission to 
assist in the rebuilding of the "House of the Lord." Being refused 
because they were not of the "seed of Abraham," they became the 
enemies, and did all in their power to frustrate the designs of the Jews 
to rehabilitate themselves as a nation, through the reigns of the Persian 
kings, and were not effectually repressed till the reign of Darius 
Hystaspes, B. C. 519. The feud grew with years. B. C. 409, Manasseh 
a man of priestly lineage, was exiled from Jerusalem because of an 
unlawful marriage. He obtained permission from the Persian king to 
build a temple on Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans with whom he 
had taken refuge. The Samaritans were at this time in possession of a 
copy of the Penteteuch, which they held as containing all the law they 
required, and as being a sufficient authority for setting up a temple 
and a sect of their own. This, and the act of receiving and honoring 
Manasseh only served to widen the breach between them and the 
Jews, who did all in their power. to make things unpleasant. From 
time to time other Jewish renegades took refuge in Samaria, and by 
degrees, the Samaritans claimed to partake of Jewish blood, particularly 
if an occasion happened when it was to their interest. This blood 
relationship was strongly resented by the Jews. " There be two manner 
of nations that my nature abhoreth, and the third is no nation : They 
that sit upon the mountain of Samaria, and they that dwell among the 
Phillistines, and that foolish people that dwell in Schechem." Eccles. 
1, 25-26. The Samaritans though living in the midst of the Jews and 
claiming kinship, believing in a sort of Mosaicism, though their temple 
on Mt. Gerizim had fallen, and their city destroyed time and again, 



204 SAMARITAN. 



at the time of Christ their nationality was as distinct from the Jews as it 
might be, and they still retained their peculiar tenets of religion, still 
worshipped with faces turned toward their sacred hill and could not 
amalgamate with their ancient enemies. 

To show the lengths to which religious enmity will carry a vindictive 
people the following, which is said to have occurred when Jesus was 
about twelve years old, is given: Under the Romans, internal feuds 
were repressed, yet at the same time greater liberty of the individuals 
was permitted. " The Samaritans seeing their opportunity, raised their 
heads more boldly. On the night before the Passover, the Temple 
doors, as was the custom, being opened at midnight, before the feast, 
some Samaritans, knowing this, and having previously smuggled them- 
selves into Jerusalem, crept up to the Temple in the darkness, and 
strewed human bones in the courts, so that the high priest Hannas 
had to turn away from the polluted sanctuary, the worshippers who in 
the morning thronged the gates. Nothing remained for the vast mul- 
titudes but to go back to their embittered homes; leaving the Temple to 
be purified, but nothing is said of any punishment of the Samaritans. 
The procurator seems only to have told the Jews that they should have kept 
a better watch. (Dr. C. Geike, Life and Words of Christ, Vol. i, p. 277). 

On the other hand, the Jews were wrapped up in a mass of cere- 
monial laws and ritualism which were to them the great essentials 
of salvation. Of these, ceremonial cleanliness was not only next to 
godliness, but it was godliness itself. A Jew dared not eat save that 
which was by the law declared clean. No flesh, even such as allowed 
by the law, could be eaten unless it was killed in a certain way, and by 
a certain class of the priesthood. Nor could food be eaten before the 
hands were washed. That is, ceremonially bathed. This ceremony 
consisted of simply pouring water over the hands. Special vessels 
having spouts were provided for this purpose. The priests laved their 
hands and feet before entering the Temple, and frequently in the course 
of the service. A highpriest named Simon is famous in Rabbinical 
annals for a misfortune that befell him in the night before the Day of 
Atonement. To while away the long hours, during which he was not 
permitted to sleep, he amused himself by conversation with an Arab 
sheik, but, to his dismay, the heathen, in his hasty utterance, let a 
speck of spittle fall on the priestly robe, and thus made its wearer unclean 
so that his brother had to take his place in the rites of the approaching 
day. (Ibid.) The rules, or Laws, as they were termed, for the obser- 



SAMUEL. 205 



vance of this so-called cleanliness reached almost every and the most 
insignificant act. To touch a dead body consisted defilement for seven 
day, and to soil the hands with blood or with the dust from an injured 
or sick person put one out of the congregation for the same time. The 
very act of stepping upon or over a grave constituted as great a defile- 
ment as could well be. Hence gravestones and tombs were kept well 
whitewashed so they could be avoided in the dark as in the light, there 
being no fences in the country, and persons travelling at night were apt 
to wander from the ill-defined paths called roads. 

Here then we see something of the great breadth and of the occult 
meaning of the story. Neither the Jewish priest, nor the Levite could 
open their hearts, to the call of suffering humanity, even though the 
sufferer was of their nation, and mayhap of their own family, for fear 
they might defile their (surface) purity. A purity which we of today 
would call a grimy one, for there is no hint of soap or other detersive 
being called for in "the Law." "No! let the man die: his life is of no 
consequence compared with our cleanness." But the Samaritan, an 
hereditary, and bigotted enemy, one who under other circumstances 
would be only too ready to spit at, to injure, to revile, and deny, could 
sink the bitterness of generations in compassion, could open his arms 
in charity, and give not only sympathy, but immediate and practical 
relief. For "after all is he not my brother" in the family of Man. 

Samtielt The son of the Kohathite Levite Elkanah, and his wife 
Hannah. For the reasons assigned in the first chapter of the first book 
of Samuel, our subject was dedicated to the service of God from his 
birth. Samuel was a power in his nation, and his functions were many 
and various; being by turns Highpriest, Judge, Captain of the Army, 
Prophet, Educator, Maker of Kings, and was eminent in all. Even after 
anointing Saul as king, it appears that he still retained,to a great extent, 
his authority as judge; and after Saul was rejected by God and David 
anointed in his place, Samuel became the spiritual father of the shep- 
herd-king. 

"Samuel represents the independence of the moral law, of the 
divine Will, as distinct from legal or sacerdotal enactments, which is so 
remarkable a characteristic of all the later prophets. He is also the 
founder of the first regular institutions of religious instruction, and 
communities for the purpose of education." (Smith, Bi. Diet. Art. 
Samuel). 



206 SAPPHIRE. 



Sandals* As far as known the sandals worn by the Hebrews were 
simply flat pieces of leather under the sole, and held thereto by means of 
thongs, the "shoe latchets" of Genesis xiv, 23; and Mark i, 7. The 
Assyrian and Babylonian sandals appear to have had a low counter to 
prevent them from slipping forward. The Romans wore a sort of 
shoe, made much after the style of the moccasin of the American Indian, 
though it did not cover the top of the foot nor the front of the instep. 

The sandal of the East was never worn within the house, being 
left at the door on entering. On approaching a place or person of 
great sanctity, the sandals were cast off as a mark of reverence. As an 
indication of mourning, the sandals were not worn at all, and it was a 
menial duty to loose another's sandals. 

See Scrip, Sandals and Staff. 




84. Sandals. 

Sapphire* Heb. *VSD» sappir: A very precious stone of a bright 
blue color; the second in the second row of jewels upon the high-priest's 
breast-plate. It was the representative jewel of the tribe of Issachar. 
The deep blue crystalline variety of corundum, which we recognize by 
the name of sapphire, is not the stone so named by the ancients. They 
applied this name to our lapis lazuli. The sapphire was one of the 
many beautiful jewels that bedezened that King of Tyre so scathingly 
rebuked by Ezekiel. Ezek. xxviii, 13. It is also named as one of the 
foundation stones of the New Jerusalem. 

Innocent III, in the twelfth century, ordained that sapphires should 
be the stones used for the rings with which bishops at their investiture 
were wedded to the church, for one of the chief virtues of the ancient 
stone was that of its inducing the gods to lend a favorable ear to their 
owner's petitions. When sacrifices were offered, and responses sought 
from Phoebus, in the hope of pleasing him, the sapphire was exhibited 
as it was thought the request would be the more readily granted. In 
Roman Catholic symbolism, it indicates faith, and, like the diamond, 



SARDONYX. 207 



impels to good things. It is commonly held to signify heaven, 
heavenly love, truth from a celestial source, (true blue) constancy, and 
fidelity. 

It is strange that this stone, which in the Middle Ages, also possessed 
the merit of keeping a man safe from the influences of fraud, fear, and 
envy, should have come in modern superstition to hold the position of 
an unlucky one. 

"The grand-priest of the Egyptians wore a sapphire on his breast. 
This image, says yElian, is named the truth. The Jews term the Bible 
Sepher." (Portal). 

In folk-lore, the sapphire is dedicated to the month of Septemper, 
and insures its bairns a fine sense of justice and a philosophic tempera- 
ment, favoring peace and ease of mind. 

Sarah* The wife and half-sister of Abraham. She is referred to 
in the New Testament (i Peter iii, 6), as a type of conjugal obedience, 
and (Heb. xi, n) as one of the types of faith. Originally her name was 
Sarai, which means "my princess." This was probably a pet name 
given her by Abram. The form Sarah, meaning "princess," was con- 
ferred upon her at the time Abram 's name was changed to Abraham. 

See Abraham. 

SardittS* Heb. D*l^> odem. The stone engraved with the 

name of Reuben, and placed first in the first row on the high-priest's 
breastplate, is probably that variety of agate now called carnelian, and 
has long been a favorite of the engraver as a gem. It most likely received 
its name from Sardis, a city in Asia Minor, as Pliny suggests, or it may 
have been derived from sered, the Persian for yellowish-red. Being 
symbolical of sincerity and truth, it is a most appropriate gem for the 
heart in the hand on the Past Grand's jewel. 
See Scarlet; Heart in Hand. 

Sardonyx* In folk-lore the sardonyx is placed for August and Sep- 
tember. It is a stone combining the qualities of the sardius and the 
onyx, and from which its name is compounded. It is in good demand 
for signet rings, as it comes in strata, or layers, of alternate opaque 
white and semi-transparent red. The sardonyx implies for that person 
within its sphere a strong love of family and many of the domestic 
virtues. Pride is indicated, but no arrogance. 



208 SAUL. 

SatlL Son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, was the first king of 
Israel. Conformably to the character of his tribe his nature was fierce, 
wayward, and fitful; so much so that he is held as the great type of royal 
capriciousness. His story, apart from its connection with David, is of 
little interest to Odd Fellows. Saul, upon a time, in his impatience 
at the delay of the prophet Samuel to appear and offer sacrifice to the 
Lord, had the temerity to perform the duties of worship which per- 
tained to the high priest alone. For this act of sacrilege, he was informed 
by Samuel that the sceptre should not continue to his posterity. From 
this time he became moody and irritable, and of a temper that often 
reached frenzy. In this crisis, it was thought that music and bright 
companionship would relieve him and for this purpose David, as being 
the best singer and harpist known, was brought to him. The experiment 
was for a time successful, but David had to return to his father's sheep. 
Some years later they met again at the time when David had his en- 
counter with the giant Goliath. Saul heaped honors, riches, and a wife 
upon the champion of Israel. From the position of armor-bearer, i 
Sam. xvi, 21; xviii, 2, David was advanced to be captain over a 
thousand, xviii, 13, and on his marriage with Michal, Saul's second 
daughter, he was raised to the high office of captain of the king's body- 
guard, making him second only, if indeed not equal, to Abner, the 
captain of the host, and Jonathan, the heir apparent. Such were the 
relations between Saul and David, at the time of Saul's disaffection, 
which was caused, not so much by the king's jealousy of the praise and 
and honors accorded David by the people, as that he, Saul, had had a 
further warning that the sceptre would depart from his family at his 
death, and also a strong presentiment, if indeed not direct information, 
that the crown was to fall on David's head. At this period, David was a 
soldier, not a shepherd; a full grown man and married, not a beardless 
stripling; armor and the decorations of a great general were his, not the 
shepherd's scrip and crook. Driving him in violent rage from his 
presence, Saul spoke to David but once after this, and then he shouted 
across a wide ravine his desire for David's return. David refused, 
fearing another outbreak of Saul's frenzy. Shortly after this incident, 
occurred the battle of Gilboa. The Philistines drove the Israelites with 
great slaughter. The three sons of Saul were slain, and he himself 
wounded. In his despair, Saul ordered his armor-bearer to kill him. 
On being refused, and determined not to be taken alive by the enemy, 
Saul fell upon his own sword. See David. 



SCALES AND SWORD. 209 

Scales and Swordt The symbol of justice. The scales represent- 
ing the trial and its determination; the sword indicating the punishment. 

The classic nations placed the symbol on their houses of justice. 
Sometimes the symbols are borne in the hands of a dignified female 
figure, who is also blindfolded to signify the impartiality of one unable 
to recognize friend or enemy. The symbol is far more ancient than the 
days of the greatness of either Greece or Rome. While neither Bels- 
hazzar nor his learned men could interpret the supernatural writing on 
the wall of his banquet hall, he realized at once the meaning contained 
in Daniel's interpretation. (Dan. v). The judgment of the balances 




85. The Scales and Sword. 

could hardly be less known to the Babylonians than to the Jews. Three 
thousand and more years before Christ, the Egyptians had a writing 
called "The Manifestation to Light" but now spoken of as "The Book 
of the Dead," or "Ritual of the Dead." This book was the bible of the 
Egyptians, and among other things it described the judgment of the 
soul. 

The soul after death is conducted to the judgment chamber. Here 
Osiris sits as chief justice, while behind or above him are represented 
the forty-two assessors, usually in two rows, each crowned with an 
ostrich feather, the emblem of truth. A large balance stands in front of 
Osiris, in one pan of which is placed an ostrich feather, the symbol of 
Truth and Justice, while in the other is placed a vase containing the 
heart of the one under judgment; the heart being supposed to hold all 

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SCARLET. 211 

the virtues and the sins of the departed. The virtues bore the scale 
downward, while the sins were overweighted by the feather. If the vir- 
tues predominated so that the feather was lifted, the soul passed on to 
happiness, but if the feather was the heavier, the heart and soul were 
thrown to the forty- two assessors, who soon made away with them, 
being not only judges but executioners. 

" The weighing of men's actions on that day shall be just ; and they 
whose balances, laden with good works, shall be heavy, are those who 
shall be happy; but they whose balances shall be light, are those who 
have lost their souls." (Koran, VII). 

Scallop Shell* Pectens Jacobaeus. This is one of the emblems of 
pilgrimage. It represents the medieval pilgrimage of good Christians 
to the shrine of St. James, at Compostella, Spain, and cannot be said 
to have been worn by any of the Jewish patriarchs or their contempo- 
raries. It is mentioned here in the hope that it will never be introduced 
in the costumes of the Order. There are already too many misfits as to 
style, color, historic character, in fact nothing too bad can be said of the 
many incongruous and meaningless absurdities called costumes, at the 
present time. 

It is curious to find that a "scallop shell" is worn at the present 
day by pilgrims in Japan. In all probability, its origin as the badge of a 
pilgrim, both in Europe and the East, was derived from its use as a prim- 
itive cup, dish, or spoon. This idea is corroborated by the crest of 
Dishington, an old English family, being a scallop shell, — a punning 
allusion to the name and the ancient use of the shell as a dish. (Walsh, 
Pop. Cus. 561). 

Scarlet* The imperial color of the Third Degree. " The prophet- 
ess Argos, became possessed of the knowledge of futurity by tasting the 
blood of a lamb offered in sacrifice; and it seems probable that the 
sanctity anciently attributed to red or purple color arose from its 
similitude to that of blood; as it had been customary, in early times, not 
only to paint the faces of the statues of the deities with vermilion, but 
also the bodies of the Roman consuls and dictators, during the sacred 
ceremony of the triumph; from which ancient custom the imperial 
purple of later ages is derived." (R. P. Knight). 

The use of scarlet was quite general in the sacred garments and 
edifices of the Jews. While the lower priests wore garments of white 
bordered with blue, the particularly holy investments of the high-priest 



212 SCARLET, 



were of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen. In 2 Sam. 
i, 24, we read of the daughters of Israel being " clothed in scarlet with 
other delights" and the good wife described in Prov. xxxi, clothes her 
household in scarlet. So we find throughout the Bible, that scarlet is 
the symbol and sign of honour and prosperity and dignity, of creative 
power and heat. 

It is a great question, as to what the exact shade or tint the ancient 
scarlet was; it being difficult to determine just what the terms purpureus, 
hyacinthus, and coccineus conveyed to those who used them. The 
color so referred to in such works of art as have been handed down to 
us, have so changed or deteriorated by time and the elements, as to 
make it practically impossible to use them for a guide. It would appear 
that the ancients were lacking in the differentiation of colors, or were 
limited in their vocabulary, when we find that they had but one word — 
purpureus — to describe the color of the sea, the poppy-flower, the ripe 
fruit of the fig, the sunrise, the blood, the hair and what not of other 
things. 

In Christian church usage, scarlet also entered largely. In the cata- 
combs of Rome are found numerous paintings of the departed Christians 
attired in white or scarlet surplices, the scarlet to symbolize that they 
had been washed in the blood of the Lamb. Whatever may be the 
ritualisitc color of the day, the pope is always clothed in scarlet vest- 
ments when he hears mass. The color of the Cardinal's robes and hat 
also is red. 

The familiar phrase "a red-letter day," referring to a day of good 
fortune and happiness, alludes to the old custom of printing the saint's 
days in the calendar, in red ink. Conversely, a red-flag is the symbol 
of insurrection, anarchy and terrorism. In the dark ages of supersti- 
tution red and black combined were the colors of purgatory and 
the devil. And strangely enough, a red Phrygian cap is the emblem of 
liberty. 

Among the Chinese symbolical colors we find that red is appointed 
to fire, and corresponds with the South. 

The Hebrew equivalent for the "fire of love, which burns in the 
South" appears to be another indication of the brotherhood of man. 
The same general idea appearing in both the Chinese and the Hebrew 
seems to show a common origin in the far distant past. 

In Heraldry red is blazoned gules, and is said to represent courage. 
Guillim, an old writer on the subject, says: — "Red representeth fire, 



SCEPTRE. 213 



which is the chiefest, lightsomest, and clearest of the elements. This 
color inciteth courage and magnanimity in persons that do grapple 
together in single or publick fight." 

In the symbolism of everyday life, red is significant when referring 
to the spiritual virtues, of an ardent love and a burning zeal for the 
faith; referring to the mundane virtues, it implies energy and courage; in 
an evil sense, it represents cruelty and bloodthirstiness and aggravated 
sin. 

Red is the physical color. It appeals to the senses; it is warming 
and vital. In its use in Odd-fellowship it covers the ground in a double 
sense, for it is emblematical of both the imperial quality of that purity 
of truth symbolized by white, and the dignity and glory of the Priestly 
Order. 

Scarlet Degree* The Third Degree of the Subordinate Lodge; 
the Fifth Degree in the old work. The proper title of degree is "the 
Degree of Truth." The degree is called "scarlet" because of the color 
of its decorations, 

See Truth, Degree of. 

Sceptre* Like many other emblems, the sceptre represents at 
times the object itself, instead of being an attribute of the object. In 
most cases the sceptre symbolizes sovereignty and power, yet it is often 
used as a synonym for king. "I shall see him, but not now; I shall 
behold him, but not nigh; there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a 
Sceptre shall rise out of Israel." Num. xxiv, 17. 




87. Sceptres. 

The sceptre is a more ancient emblem of royalty than even the 
crown. The Pharaohs and the kings of ancient Mesopotamia, wore no 
such head-dress as we call a crown. A turban, ornamented, to be sure, 
or a kerchief bound with a thong, was the nearest approach then made 



214 SCYTHE. 

to a crown, but they all carried staffs of some sort, and as becoming 
kings, these staffs were frequently highly ornamented. It is an incon- 
gruous anacronism, to furnish King Saul with a sceptre having a globe 
surmounted by a cross, as is often done. This is an attribute of Chris- 
tian monarchs, and was not introduced till about the fourth century 
A. D. The sceptres of the ancient kings were not so much for show 
as for belaboring slaves and other attendants. According to the historian 
Justin, the old kings of Rome had no other ensign of their royalty, while 
the Greek poets place sceptres in the hands of the gods, and declare 
that no other oath was as solemn as that taken upon the sceptre. Some- 
times a spear is used as a sceptre, and Homer describes them as big 
walking staffs, intended to indicate that the monarch ruled only by 
acknowledged right, and not by force. The sceptre of the French kings 
was formerly topped with a fleur-de-lis. 

"The pure sceptre, or staff without ornament, represented the 
instrument with which the guilty were stricken, and the scourge of God. 
The pure sceptre was, consequently, the sign of the right to punish 
and of the power of chiefs." (Portal, Egypt, Sym. 56 Tr. by S. W. 
Symons). 

Scrip* A leathern bag, carried by a strap from the shoulder, and 
used for much the same purpose as the soldier's haversack of today, by 
peasants upon a journey, and by shepherds afield with their flocks. 
In it were carried the provisions for the day, and it was symbolic of 
distance from home. David, when, as a shepherd boy, he visited his 
brothers in Saul's camp before the Philistines, carried such a bag. 

See Pilgrim's Scrip, Sandals, and Staff. 

Script Sandals and Staff. See Pilgrim's Scrip, Sandals, and Staff. 



88. The Sythe. 

Scythe. An emblem of the end of time. Death, the reaper, swings 
his scythe, and in the swath he cuts, are found the flower and the grass, 



SEAL OF THE SOVEREIGN GRAND LODGE 215 

the weed and the useful herb. The best and the worst, 7 ; the learned 
and the ignorant, the rich man and the pauper, must all fall before the 
relentless stroke. Yet must we remember that it is but through death 
that Time is left for Eternity; that through death only may we attain 
Immortality. 

" There is a Reaper, whose name is Death, 

And, with his sickle keen, 
He reaps the bearded grain at a breath, 
And the flowers that grow between." 

— Longfellow, The Reaper and the Flowers. 

In classic times the scythe was an attribute of Saturn, the god of 
time; assigned to him because it is said that he taught men the use of 
agricultural implements. In medieval and later symbolic art, Time 
is represented as a bald-headed old man, with but a single lock of hair 
above his forehead, winged and carrying an hour-glass and a scythe. 
The wings symbolize the swiftness as of the flight of an eagle ; the hour- 
glass, the limit of life ; and the scythe, the cutting off of time. 

See Hour-glass; Wings. 

Seal of the Sovereign Grand Lodge* This seal, which is intended 

to be a copy of the old seal of the Grand Lodge of the United States, 
if it is at all like the supposedly fac-simile affixed to all S. G. L. official 
documents, is not only lacking in artistic finish, but a poor copy in 
which the artist entirely lost sight of its symbolic meaning. The charges 
upon the shield have been reduced and slurred and indeed partly cov- 
ered up, so that it is with great difficulty that they can be deciphered. 
What the two great kidney-shaped blotches that decorate the upper 
portion of the shield are intended for it is impossible to make out. 
Had the copyist but one-half the sympathetic feeling of him who designed 
the old seal or had he any artistic feeling at- all, the greatest fraternal 
order on earth would have had a seal befitting its character and impor- 
tance. 

On the Seal of the G. L. of the U. S. will be found a shield, party 
per pale and chevron. The first quarter is charged with a gavel upon an 
open book, to signify the authority of the Word of God, from which 
the Order derives its entire Wisdom. The second quarter is charged 
with a sheaf of arrows, the weapons of war against vice. The base is 
charged with a bee-hive, the emblem of associated industry. The 
whole signifies that " with the authority of wisdom the war against vice 



216 



SEED. 



must be industrially carried on. The crest is a figure of Charity caring 
for two orphans, and standing upon a globe enveloped by a snake, 
emblematical of the great truth that " Charity covereth a world of sin." 
As supporters of the shield, Faith stands at the dexter side, holding a 
cornucopia (horn-of -plenty) in one hand, and with the other pointing 
heavenward, where the All-Seeing Eye appears in its glory; while Hope 




89. Seal of the Sovereign Grand Lodge. 

on the sinister side, resting upon her anchor of "trust in God," uplifts 
her eyes to the same celestial object. The motto of the Order, "Ami- 
citia, Amor, et Veritas," is below the shield, while encircling the whole 
is inscribed the imperative instruction given every member of the 
Order; — "We command you to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, 
bury the dead, and educate the orphan." 

For the symbolism of the details see the various titles. 

Second Degree* See Brotherly Love, Degree of; Covenant Degree. 

Seed* The dictionaries define this word as "the fertilized and 
matured ovule of the higher, or flowering plants. It is a body within the 
pericarp, or seed-vessel, containing an organized embryo, or nucleus, 



SERPENT. 217 



which, on being placed under favorable circumstances, developes into 
an individual similar to that from which it came." In a scriptural 
and figurative sense the word represents progeny, offspring, descendants. 
In such use the word is always singular in form, whether it be applied 
to one person or to any number collectively. 

Seed of Abraham* The children or descendants of Abraham. 
Practically , this term refers to the Jews only; that is, to Abraham's de- 
scendants through Jacob, (Israel). Abraham had other descendants 
but they were lost sight of by the sacred historians. 

Seed of LevL The children or descendants of Levi who formed the 
priest caste. The term Levite has a varied application in the Bible. 
At times it includes the whole tribe. At other times it is applied to that 
portion of the tribe who were not priests, and were distinguished from 
them. Yet again it is added as an epithet of the smaller portion of the 
tribe, and we read of " the priests the Levites." But the term " seed of 
Levi" embraces the whole tribe and each individual of it. 

Serpent. The use of the serpent as a symbol of sly, artful cunning 
was doubtless derived from Genesis hi, i, — "Now the serpent was more 
subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made." 
Throughout the East the serpent was used as an emblem of the evil 
principle, of the spirit of disobedience, and of contumacy. As such 
it is found pictured on the ruined monuments of Egypt. It is often 
shown in early Christian art coiled about a tree bearing large fruit, its 
head that of a woman, and often with the bust of one. At other times it 
is placed beneath the feet of the Blessed Virgin, where it signifies her 
triumph over sin. At times it is placed at the foot of the cross as typical 
of the overthrow of sin. 

The serpent is frequently represented as winged to signify the 
speed with which evil travels abroad. No matter how it is depicted, 
winged, footed, with woman's head, or with both head and bust, with 
one or a dozen heads, or as a plain everyday snake, its appearance of 
malignant subtlety and evil power always presents the sad symbol of 
enmity to good and to God. 

" Some flow'rets of Eden ye still inherit, 

But the trail of the serpent is over them all." 

— Moore, Paradise and Peri. 



218 



SERPENT. 



The book of Revelation speaks of "the dragon, that old serpent 
called the Devil, which deceive th the whole world." St. Augustine 
states that the Manichaeans used the serpent as a direct type of Christ; 
but its employment was ordinarily antagonistic to Deity. Various sects 
in the early part of the Christian era regarded it, not only as the symbol 
of wisdom, but also of goodness, and its form was largely used in charms 
and amulets, and is often seen at the present day in the metal adorn- 
ments of women. The older faiths of Phcenecia and Egypt revered 
the serpent as a beneficent being, and it was an attribute of Thoth 
and Hermes. 

As a talisman against evil and sickness, the serpent was the com- 
panion of the physician, the magician, and the soothsayer. It may be 
seen at the foot of the tripod at Delphi, and twined about the staff of 
Esculapius, the god of the art of healing, who sometimes appears in the 
ophidian shape himself; while Cassandra, licked behind the ear by a 




90. The Serpent. 



serpent, became gifted with prophecy, and forsaw all the evil that would 
befall Troy. Blind Plutus, after one had licked his sightless eyes, saw 
clearly all the past, the present and the future; and strange powers 
of healing and mysterious insight were ascribed to those who had come 
within the influence of the serpent's power and fascination. (Hulme, 1 6) . 

Serpent worship is widespread over many lands and through many 
ages. It is an interesting subject, but space forbids dilating upon it here. 

Marguerite de France, daughter of King Francis I, called the 
mother of her people, had charged upon her arms an olive branch en- 



SERPENT. 219 



twined with serpents. The motto was "Rerum sapientia custos," — 
wisdom, the guardian of affairs. 

Sometimes the serpent is represented as a circle, with the tail in 
the mouth, in which case it is a symbol of eternity. 

In ancient mythology, organic substance was symbolized by an egg, 
and the principle of life, by which it was called into being, by the serpent, 
which having the habit of casting his skin, and apparently renewing his 
youth, was taken as such principle. 

The Shoshoni Indians of the Western plains believe the rain-bow 
to be a beautiful snake that abrades the sky, which is of ice, — surely 
it is the very color of ice, — and the particles of ice-dust fall in the winter 
as snow, while in summer they are melted and form rain. 

Portal, in his Symbolism of Colors, has much to say about other 
things; in particular he has the following observations regarding the 
serpent. "A learned Englishman states that the Egyptian triad was 
represented by a globe, a serpent, and a wing. The globe was the 
emblem of God, because His centre was everywhere, and His circum- 
ference immeasurable; the serpent designates eternity and likewise wis- 
dom; the wing was the symbol of the air, or the spirit." 

" On a monument of Thebes, (Tom. iii, pi. 34, French Govt. Work 
on Egypt), the globe is red, the two serpents are golden, and the wings 
are red and azured. The red is the symbol of love divine; the gold, or 
golden yellow, indicates the word, revelation; the azure the air, or divine 
breath ; the green was the last divine sphere, which is again found in the 
emerald rain-bow of the Apocalypse. The interpretation of the hiero- 
glyph becomes easy. God in His unity, which embraces the universe, 
is love; He reveals Himself by wisdom and goodness, signified by the 
two serpents and gold; He recalls creation to Him by truth and love, 
designated by the two wings and by the colours red and blue." 

" On a monument described by Junker, the body of Jupiter is sur- 
rounded by a serpent, marked with the twelve signs of the zodiac. The 
serpent, symbol of the sun's course, was the hieroglyph of the Word. 
Thus in Greece, as in Egypt, and in Christianity, the Trinity was rep- 
resented by a red globe, or crown of flames, by wings, and by the ser- 
pent." 

" The Egyptian symbolism reproduced not only the Mosaical types, 
but it reappeared in Christianity. Typhon, the evil genius, of a red 
color, took the form of a serpent, as the red dragon, who is the Devil and 
Satan in the Apocalypse. That the neophyte must gain the victory over 



220 SEVEN. 

his passions was prefigured in the books of Genesis, and Zends, and the 
Eddas, by the serpent." (Portal. Sym. of Col.) 

Servant of the Altar* See Levite. 

Seven* The number seven is remarkable for its wide and peculiar 
use as well as its symbolism. 

Pythagoras called the number seven the perfect number, in which 
he was not alone, as the words for seven in Hebrew, Syriac, Persian, 
Phoenician, Chaldean, and Saxon, all signify full and complete ; though 
Pythagoras founded his idea upon the addition of the triangle "three" 
to the square "four." fi He also identified the number with the 

" opportune time," and called it light. It was also termed " motherless," 
which may have been derived from the "seven spirits" which were the 
personifications of the seven planets of Chaldean astrology, and which 
were said to be fatherless and motherless. 

Referring this number to the life of man, we find that in seven 
months a child may be born and live, but not before. The Jews waited 
seven days before naming a child, under the idea that it was not fully 
alive until that time. In the seventh month the teething begins, and 
they are renewed about the seventh year. With the second term of seven 
years, comes puberty, which is not fully developed till the end of the third 
term of seven years. At four times seven years, man is in full possession 
of his strength. At thirty-five he is fully fit to battle with the world. 
He becomes grave and wise at forty-two. At seven-times-seven, 
he is at the zenith of his powers, and from that time he begins to 
weaken. 

At fifty-six he arrives at his first climacteric, while nine-times-seven, 
the grand climacteric, is the most dangerous period since youth. 
At ten-times-seven, he reaches the limit declared by the Psalmist 
to be the full term of natural life. 

There is a Mohamedan tradition that God created man from seven 
handfuls of earth, obtained from as many different depths, hence the 
different colors of mankind. 

Ecbatana, the chief city of Northern Media, in later years known as 
Gaza, had, as defenses, seven walls. Herodotus says that they were 
colored differently. Beginning at the outermost, they were white, black, 
scarlet, blue, orange, silver, and gold. As the city was built upon a 



SEVEN. 221 

conical hill, the sight must have been striking indeed. The seven 
stages of the ancient temple of Nebo, the ziggurat of Birs-i-Nimrud, were 
also colored, but in a different order. (See Gold). Commencing with 
the black base, they were respectively orange, blood-red, gold, pale 
yellow, blue, and silver. Nebuchadnezzar styled this pyramid "the 
temple of the seven lights of the earth;" referring to the seven planets. 
The Chinese have a legend of a tortoise, whose back bore the images 
of the seven stars of the Chariot. (Dipper, or Charles Wain). In 
Rome it will be found that the Pantheon was located with reference to 
the same seven stars. The city itself is built upon seven hills, named 
Capitoline, Palatine, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal, and 
Viminal. 

The Oriabi Indians have a legend that their god Matcito taught 
seven maidens to weave a magical fabric from seven baskets of cotton- 
bolls, which when finished, he held aloft and the breeze carried it away 
to the firmament, where it was transformed into a beautiful full-orbed 
moon. But it was yet cold, and Matcito, calling for seven buffalo 
skins, wove another wonderful fabric from the densely matted 
hair, which a storm carried away to the sky, where it became the sun. 
(J. W. Powell). 

Mohamed, in the Koran, says that "God visited the skies and 
formed the seven heavens." 

In the Middle Ages seven was much esteemed. Seven great planets 
only were accounted : the sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, 
and Saturn. Seven arts were reckoned: grammar, logic, and rhetoric, 
and arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy. Again there were 
the seven bodies or elements of Alchemy — attributes of the planets — 
as gold for the sun, silver for the moon, iron for Mars, quicksilver 
for Mercury, lead for Saturn, tin for Jupiter, and copper for Venus. 
The seven senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, muscular, 
and that which has within the last few years received the name of tele- 
pathy. There were also "the seven sleepers of Ephesus," who were 
seven Christian youths, said to have concealed themselves in a cavern 
near that city, to escape the persecutions under Decius, about A.D. 250, 
and falling asleep, did not waken till some two or three hundred years 
later, when they found that Christianity had become the religion of the 
country. Then there were in ancient times the seven sages of Greece ; 
Bias, Chilo, Cleobulus, Periander, Pittacus, Solon, and Thales, all 
famous for their practical wisdom. Also the seven wonders of the 



222 SEVEN. 

world: the pyramids of Egypt, the Pharos or lighthouse of Alexandria, 
the walls and hanging-garden of Babylon, the temple of Diana of 
Ephesus, the colossal statue of the Olympian Jupiter, the mausoleum of 
Artemisia, and the Colossus of Rhodes. 

The most ancient religion of which we find a trace is that of the 
seven sons of Saduk, the Kabiri, who founded a race of priest-kings, by 
whom all knowledge of primitive worship is supposed to have been 
handed down. The story of creation in the Bible allows seven days 
for the work. Recent finds in Chaldea corroborated this in a parallel 
account. The Jews considered the number perfect, which is not sur- 
prising when note is taken of the many instances of its use in their 
sacred writings. There were seven days respite before the flood. Seven 
of all clean animals were loaded into the ark. The years of famine and 
plenty were in cycles of seven. Every seventh year, like every seventh 
day, was sabbatical. The feasts of unleavened bread, and of taber- 
nacles lasted seven days. On the seventh day of the feast of tents, the 
priests compassed the altar seven times, with branches in their hands. 
The many trumpet signals from the temple consisted of seven blasts from 
seven horns. Jericho was circumambulated seven days by the hosts of 
Israel, and on the seventh day the circuit was made seven times, when 
at the last seven priests blew as many trumpets ere the walls fell. Jacob 
served seven years for each of his wives. Samson celebrated his nuptials 
seven days, and later shorn of seven locks of hair was easily bound with 
seven withes. The golden candle-stick in the tabernacle and in the 
temple had seven branches, represented today in many churches by the 
seven candles on the altar. The "stars of God" (the seven stars of the 
Chariot), mentioned in Isaiah xiv, 13, are doubtless the basis of this 
symbol. 

There are seven Sacred Books, representing the seven principle reli- 
gions, the Bible, the Koran, the Eddas, the Tripitaka, the Five Kings, 
the Three Vedas, and the Zend Avesta. Seven Archangels; Michael, 
Gabriel,Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Zaphiel, and Zadkiel. The Apocalypse 
tells of the seven mysterious seals, the seven stars, seven trumpets, the 
seven-headed dragon, as well as of the seven churches of Asia ; Ephesus, 
Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,and Laodicea. There 
are seven gifts of the Holy Ghost; wisdom, understanding, counsel, 
ghostly strength or fortitude, knowledge, godliness, and the fear of the 
Lord. Seven sacraments; baptism, confirmation, the eucharist, penance, 
holy orders, matrimony, and extreme unction. Seven joys of Mary; 



SEVEN. 223 

annunciation, visitation, nativity, adoration, presentation in the Temple, 
finding Jesus among the doctors, and the assumption. Also Her seven 
dolors or sorrows; the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the 
three days' loss of Jesus,the meeting with Jesus on the way to Calvary, 
the crucifixion, the descent from the cross, and the entombment. It will 
be remembered that Jesus admonished Peter that he should forgive 
his brother not only seven times but seventy times seven. There are 
seven deadly sins recognized by the church: pride, covetousness, lust, 
anger, gluttony, sloth, and envy. Seven corporeal works of mercy; to 
bury the dead, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to give drink 
to the thirsty, to shelter the houseless, to visit prisoners, and to administer 
to the sick. There are seven chief virtues: faith, hope, and charity, 
termed the holy or theological virtues; and justice, prudence, temperance, 
and fortitude, called the moral or cardinal virtues. Seven spiritual 
works of mercy; to admonish sinners, to bear wrongs patiently, to 
comfort the afflicted, to counsel the doubtful, to forgive offenses, to 
instruct the ignorant, and to pray for the living and dead. There are 
seven holy orders in the Roman Catholic Church; bishops, priests, and 
deacons (major or holy), readers, exorcists, acolytes, and doorkeepers 
(minor or secular). Seven canonical hours or fixed hours of prayer; 
named respectively matins, prime, terce, sext, nones, evensong or vespers, 
and complin. Seven great Latin hymns ; Dies Irae ; Hora Novasimma ; 
Jesus, dulcis memoria; Stabat Mater; Veni, Creator Spiritus; Veni, 
Sanctus Spiritus; and Vexilla Regis. Seven penitential Psalms; vi, 
xxxii, xxxviii, li, cii, cxxx, and cxliii. There were also seven champions 
of Christendom : St. George of England, St. Denis of France, St. James 
of Spain, St. Anthony of Italy, St. Andrew of Scotland, St. Patrick of 
Ireland, and St. David of Wales. 

In common with other nations old Egypt had a law enjoining 
rest on the seventh day, because it was held to be a dies injaustus; that 
is, a day on which justice could not be administered. It was also con- 
sidered unlucky or inauspicious to labor on that day. 

The lyre of the old Greek gods was of seven strings, according to 
some writers to correspond with the number of the principal gods, or of 
the planets. Why the ancient should not be credited with as tuneful 
ears as the moderns who recognize seven intervals in the musical scale is 
not apparent. 

Seven is rarely used in metrology. Probably its sole occurrence was 
in the seven handbreadths of the Egyptian cubit. 



224 SHAMIR. 



Shamir. The ancients, constantly endeavoring to discover reasons 
for the innumerable phenomena of nature, advanced many, to us of the 
present enlightened day, eminently absurd and preposterous explana- 
tions. The lack of a knowledge of writing whereby descriptions of 
many remarkable incidents and things might be accurately recorded, 
may also be assigned as a reason for the distorted ideas of our distant 
forefathers. Most of our very ancient history was handed down by 
word of mouth. And these traditions, like the mutations of the story 
of the "Three Black Crows," lost and gained in every retelling, so that 
but few generations passed after a certain event occurred ere its story 
was unrecognizable. Thus, this Shamir, the supposed stone with which 
were engraved the lettering upon the jewels worn by the the highpriest, 
has as many variations in character, action, and locality, as there were 
nations. It was a stone, a worm, a twig, a flower, a leaf, a root, a liquid. 
It was found on the surface of the earth, digged from far beneath the 
surfaces, found in the waters of a well, on the sea-shore, high up the 
mountain side, in a hoopoe's nest. It might be anything, found any- 
where, and it was able not only to scratch the hardest stone or shatter it, 
but it could restore animal life. This breaking of stone and the restora- 
tion of life are the only points of similarity in the hundreds of its legends. 
Out of facts distorted in the repeated telling came the vast number of 
myths, interesting from their very absurdities, yet marvelously instructive 
when studied for their foundation facts. 

The Jews were no exception in distorting facts. Even Josephus, 
their great historian, could warp the story of a fact into an almost im- 
possible form. As an instance, it is said of King Solomon's temple, 
"the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready 
before it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer, nor 
axe, nor any tool of iron, heard in the house while it was in building." 
(i King's vi, 7). The reason given for the prohibition of tools of iron 
is that iron is used to shorten life, (weapons of war are made of iron), 
the altar to prolong it. So says the Mishna. The altar was the symbol 
of peace between God and man, and therefore the metal employed in war 
was forbidden to be used in its erection, and Solomon extended the 
idea to the whole temple. The Bible does not say that tools of iron 
were not used in preparing the stones beforehand, simply they were not 
used on the site of the temple. Now Josephus lived some thousand 
years after the temple was built, and moreover he was in Rome, when he 
wrote, " The whole edifice of the temple is, with great art, compacted of 



SHAMIR. 225 



rough stones, which have been fitted into one another quite harmoniously 
without the work of a hammer or any other builders' tool being observ- 
able, but the whole fits together without the use of these, and the fitting 
seems to be rather one of free will than of force through mechanical 
means." Here is a statement of what might be termed almost a miracle. 
Let us examine this a little. There is no doubt that building stones 
can be cut and perfectly fitted for their places at a point far distant 
from the place they are intended to occupy. It is the common practice 
of these days, and there is but little noise of the hammer and chisel at the 
erection of a modern building. In exploring beneath the site of the 
temple during the last century, antiquarians found great stones which 
undoubtedly formed part of the foundation of that structure, and these 
stones, while very unequal in size, were thoroughly squared and fitted 
together in the highest style of the mason's art, and showed unmistakable 
evidence of tooling. But Josephus wrote from hearsay, and probably 
gave but little original thought to the details. 

A little story in the English Gesta Romanorum relates that the 
Emperor Diocletian desiring to determine which of all birds was the 
most kindly affectioned towards its young, and discovering one day 
while walking in the forest, the nest of an ostrich, in which were the 
mother with her young, carried the nest with the poults to the palace and 
placed them in a glass vessel. The mother-bird followed, and being 
unable to reach her little ones, returned to the wood, and after three 
days came back with a worm in her beak, called thumare. This she 
dropped on the glass, and by the power of the worm it was shivered, and 
the young flew after the mother. On observing this, the Emperor highly 
commended the affection and sagacity of the ostrich. We may remark 
that a portion of that sagacity was wanting in those who applied this 
myth to that bird which of all others is so singularly deficient in the 
qualities credited to it by Diocletian. 

" Gossiping and fable-loving Gervase of Tilbury says that Solomon 
cut the stones of the temple with the blood of a little worm called thamir, 
which when sprinkled on the marble, made it easy to split. He obtained 
this worm by placing the chick of an ostrich in a glass bottle, when the 
mother ostrich ran to the desert and brought the worm for breaking 
the bottle." (Rev. S. Baring- Gould). 

In Normandy it is a swallow that knows the proper pebble on the 
beach which will restore the sight to the blind. Icelandic natives tell of 
a stone which gives its possessor the power of invisibility, and of ful- 

15 



226 SHRINE. 

filling his every wish. It can also raise the dead, cure disease and break 
bolts and bars. In Brittany it is a root with little red flowers that 
restores life. In Lithuania the root is white, the flowers of a rosy hue, 
attached to a stalk of a purplish tinge. Germany attaches the legend 
to a little blue flower, the "forget-me-not," while in Switzerland it 
clusters about the "edelweiss." See Breastplate. 

Shekiliah* The light which glowed between the cherubim, above 
the mercy-seat of the Ark of the Testimony. It symbolized the pres- 
ence of the Almighty, and was believed by many of the Jews to be His 
actual self. It is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures. Psalms, 
xxvii, i ; cxix, 105 ; Is. lx, 1 ; John, i, 9 ; viii, 12 ; ix, 5 ; 1 John, i, 5. " For 
to find the light is to find the word, and to find the word is to find the 
truth, and He is the Truth." 

See Ark of the Testimony; Cherubim; Light. 

Shell, Scallop* See Scallop Shell. 

Shield* Ancient shields, such as were used by the Israelites of the 
time of King Saul, were ordinarily made of hide stretched over a circular 
wooden frame. They could be readily destroyed by fire. Ezek. xxxix, 
9. They were, however, usually trimmed with metal, either copper or 
bronze, and often covered with plates of the same. When polished they 
shone like gold in the son. " Now when the sun shone upon the shields 
of gold and brass, the mountains glistered therewith, and shined like 
lamps of fire." 1 Mac. vi, 39. 

In Nahum, ii, 3, the shields of the mighty men are said to have 
been made red. A tarnished polished copper shield would appear so, 
without smearing it with blood, as it is supposed by some commentators 
to have been the method of reddening them. 

The shields of kings and high officers only were made of gold, or 
rather were plated with gold. King Solomon decorated his palace of 
Lebanon with three hundred shields of beaten gold, putting three pounds 
of the precious metal into each. 

In the Scriptures, the shield is frequently used figuratively to rep- 
resent the protection of God; Gen. xv, 1; Deut. xxxiii, 29; Ps. iii, 3; 
xxxiii, 20; lix, n; lxxxiv, 9-1 1; xci, 4; Pro. xxx, 5; while in Ps. xlvii, 9, 
it refers to earthly princes, and in Eph. vi, 16, to faith. 

Shrine* This word is used in the Rebekah work only metaphori- 
cally; referring to a certain object, which by its associations and history 



SILVER. 227 

has become hallowed and consecrated, to the end that it is worthy almost 
of worship. In ordinary use, the word is applied to a box, case, or casket 
containing sacred relics, or to an altar, small chapel, or temple peculiarly 
consecrated and supposedly hallowed by the presence in the spirit of 
some deity, saint, or hero. 

Sign* This word is used to indicate a multitude of methods of 
conveying ideas without the use of spoken words, principally such as 
appeal to the eye. It is used figuratively, however, for impressions 
given by unseen things or events. In a general way it is something 
which serves to bring up the notion of some other thing in the mind 
of the person observing it. Consequently it is symbolic. This is well 
illustrated in a certain position of the hand which instantly attracts 
the attention of an Odd Fellow, who follows with an apparent adjust- 
ment of his clothing. To one not a member of the Order, these simple 
and commonplace actions are not worth noticing, while to those in 
knowledge, they convey a world of meaning. So it is, all through the 
work there are many ideas conveyed by the most simple movements 
of the hands ; and all these movements are signs. Primarily, they signify 
that he who uses them is an Odd Fellow, and yet each has its indi- 
vidual significance. In daily life, the fore-finger placed over the lips 
indicates silence. (Don't speak). A similar sign in the lodge -room 
signifies something a little different. The emblems of the Order also 
become signs when used in certain ways. For instance, the Three- 
Links placed over an entrance is a sign that a Lodge of Odd Fellows 
has its home in the building. 

Silver* The trimming of the regalia and material of the jewels 
and other ornaments of the Subordinate Lodges is confined by law to 
"white" metal. Hence silver has been taken for the purpose; gold 
being assigned to the Encampment branch. Silver, under the title 
" argent," occupies quite a place in Heraldry, as it is one of the only two 
metals appearing in that peculiar art. Anciently the shield "argent" 
is said to have represented innocency, and humility, and the shield of a 
novice before going to the wars was generally white. In the list of sym- 
bolic colors used by the Chinese for over three thousand years, we find 
that white corresponds to metal and refers to the mist. 

Silver from the earliest times has been used for ornaments as well 
as for vessels. Images for idolatrous worship, of the solid metal or 
plated with it, are mentioned in Ex. xx, 23, Hos. xiii, 2, and other places 



228 SISERA. 

in the Bible, while silver shrines for Diana were important articles of 
manufacture in Ephesus. Acts, xix, 24. Its principal use in the past, 
as in the present,was as a medium of exchange, and in the Bible we find 
numerous examples of the use of the word silver as the equivalent of 
"money." 

The topmost or seventh stage of the great tower of Birs-i-Nimrud a 
Borsippa, was plated with silver, as it was consecrated to the moon. 
The first of the seven heavens of the Musselman is supposed to be 
entirely of silver, and at the last great day, when the earth shall give up 
its dead, it shall be changed into another earth all white as silver. To 
express the great riches of Job, after his trials and restoration to health 
and prosperity, the Arabs say that he had two threshing floors upon which 
God caused to rain down silver upon the one and gold upon the other. 

See Gold; White. 

Silver Cord* See Cord Silver. 

Sisera* This captain of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, and 
whose name is translated battle array, headed the hordes of Gentiles who 
for twenty years harassed and plundered the Israelites. At last, after 
many years of non-resistance, under the flaming words of Deborah, the 
prophetess, the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali rose in their wrath and 
desperation and, led by Barak, lightning, prepared to resist the in- 
vaders. 

Of the battle which ensued, the Rev. Dr. Maclear says : " At length 
the heroic Deborah gave the encouraging command to Barak, 'Up, for 
this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand.' 
Probably long before it was light the camp of Barak's little army was 
struck, and the patriot tribes rapidly descending the winding mountain- 
path fell upon the hosts of Sisera and threw them into wild confusion. 
As they fled in wild dismay along the plain, not only the troops of Barak, 
but 'the stars in their courses,' (Judg. v, 20), the elements of heaven, 
began to fight against the Canaanites. A furious storm of rain and hail 
gathered from the East and, bursting right in their faces, rendered 
useless the bows of the archers, and swelled into a mighty torrent the 
rivulets, springs, and spongy marshes near Megiddo. Before long the 
ancient torrent of the Kishon (twisted and winding) rose in its bed, 
and the plain became an impassable morass. The chariots of Sisera 
were now utterly useless. The hoofs of the horses vainly plunging in 
the mud and swollen streams 'were broken by means of their prancings' 



SIX-POINTED STAR. 229 



(Judg. v, 22). The torrent of the Kishon now running fast and furious, 
swept them away, and the strength of the Canaanites was trodden down. 
Stuck fast, entangled, overwhelmed they could not stand for a moment 
before the avenging Barak, and not a man made good his escape to the 
city of their great leader, Harosheth oj the Gentiles, beiore their pursuers 
had smitten them with the edge of the sword. (Judg. iv, 16)." 

"Sisera himself fled on foot to the friendly tribe of Heber the 
Kenite, where he hoped to find safety. Approaching Heber's tent, 
he was met and welcomed by Jael, Heber's wife, who also ministered 
unto him, giving him milk, and covering him up with a rug or blanket 
as if to conceal him from his pursuers. Thus doubly assured of hos- 
pitality, Sisera bade her deny his presence if any enquired after him, and 
then laid him down and slept. Then Jael, taking one of the wooden 
sharp-pointed tent-nails in one hand and a mallet in the other, went 
softly unto him, and smote him with such force that the nail entered 
into his temples, and fastened his head to the ground, ' for he was fast 
asleep and weary, and so he died.' Meanwhile the pursuing Barak 
drew near. Him, too, Jael went forth to meet, and taking him within, 
showed him his terrible foe, the captain of the nine hundred chariots, 
lying dead upon the ground, with the nail driven through this temples." 
(Rev. G. F. Maclear, Old Test, Hist. p. 240). 

Six* While we should be careful not to read meanings where they 
were never meant or intended, the number six stands for the attributes 
of Deity, — power, majesty, wisdom, love, mercy, justice. (Hulme). 
"In six days God created the heavens and the earth," and thereby es- 
tablished a custom which has ever obtained. Not even the power of 
the great Napoleon could enforce a longer period without a rest. He 
tried to make a week of ten days, nine for work and one for rest, but it 
was soon discovered that the average worker was physically incapable 
of so prolonged an effort. 

The sixth heaven of the Mohamedans was made of carbuncle. The 
number held an important place in the Chaldean sexagesimal system. 

Six-pointed Star* An attribute of the pilgrim to the Holy Land, 
and called the Star of Bethlehem It rays are usually straight like those 
of the heraldic mullet, but often the rays are wavy like those of the estoile. 
The classic nations formed a six-pointed star by laying one equilater- 
al triangle upon another. This is the emblem of the Grand Encamp- 
ment. It embodies the ancient's idea of the androgynous nature of the 



230 SKULL AND CROSSBONES. 

deity, the triangle with the point upward signifying the male principle 
of heat, and the one with the point downward the female principle of 
moisture ; the two triangles being understood to represent the fire which 
mounts upward, and water which flows downward. The fire was em- 
blematic of the sun, and water of the passive element of nature. 




92. Double Interlaced Triangle. 

Doubtless the western nations received their inspiration for this 
from the Hindus. Mr. Edward Moor says in his Hindu Pantheon, 
"The double, or interlaced, triangle is used by the Brahmins to signify 
the powers of Siva and Vishnu, of fire and water, in conjunction. These 
are, and always have been, the purifying elements; it has been left to 
modern days, we believe, to find out the purifying power of earth as 
well." Amongst the Hindus these interlaced triangles are of most re- 
mote antiquity, and from them, probably, have been received by other 
nations as an emblem of the deity. 

Skeleton* As with the skull and cross-bones, the skeleton is a 
symbol of death. At ancient Egyptian feasts it was not unusual to 
introduce a skeleton (or rather a mummy, as skeletons were rare in that 
country) as a reminder of anxiety, care, and grief, and that "in the 
midst of life we are in death." 

The " skeleton-in-the-closet " refers to a domestic trouble, that the 
interests of the family must keep concealed. 

See Death; Skull and Cross-bones. 

Skull and Cross-bones* One of the many emblems used to sym- 
bolize mortality. Perhaps the one used most frequently, in both sacred 
and profane mysteries, as a means of impressing the mind with a realizing 
sense of the seriousness of the end of life. From East to West, from 
North to South, wherever man has made use of mural decorations, may 
be found this symbol. Among the runes of Scandinavia, on the temple 
walls of the far East; in the tombs of Egypt; even to the decorations 



SPEAR, 231 

of the altars of prehistoric Yucatan, the skull and cross-bones stand pre- 
eminently the representative emblem of death. It is much used as a 
sign of danger, particularly upon labels of poisonous drugs. In the 
days of piracy, it was frequently borne upon the flags of the free-booters. 
The Aghories, a Hindu sect now nearly rooted out by the English gov- 
ernment, carry a pole with a shoe, a water-pot, and a skull and bones 
on the top. 

In ecclesiastical art, the skull symbolizes penance, and sometimes in 
group pictures of the Savior, the skull represents Adam. 




93. The Skull and Cross-bones. 

Son of Levi* Literally a descendant of Levi, but the term is usually 
applied in the Scriptures, more particularly, to those of the Levites who 
served in the temple in a minor capacity, not as priests. 

See Seed of Levi. 

Sounding Brass* See Brass, Sounding. 

Spear* The spear in general is a symbol of battle or war. With 
red penon attached it is emblematic of a just revenge. (Walsh). The 
right hand, in the days when spears were kept bright for use, was called 
the spear-hand, in contradistinction to the left, which was termed the 
shield or bridle hand. 

The holy spear or holy lance of the Greek church is a knife with a 
long lanceolate blade and cruciform hilt used for cutting the bread for 
the sacrament. As St. Adelbert met his death by being pierced with 
a spear, it has become his regular attribute in art. 

"From the beginning, the ancients have worshipped spears as 
emblems of the immortal gods; and hence, as a memorial of this worship, 



232 STAFF, PILGRIM'S. 



spears were set up by the busts of the deities." (Justin, History, 
xliii, 3). 

Portal calls spear or lance-heads the emblems of the power of 
reason, which is the spiritual arm of the will. 




94. Spears. 
1. Canaanitish Soldier. 2. Egyptian Soldier. From Egyptian Monuments. 

Spear, Broken* As the spear is emblematic of battle, so the broken 
spear is symbolic of the end of fight, usually with the further meaning 
that not only is the battle lost, but he who couched the spear was also 
lost. 

Sphere* See Globe. 

Spur* See Golden Spur. 

Square* The geometric figure called the square is an emblem of 
rectitude of conduct, because its angles are all right angles, and all its 
sides as well as its angles are equal the one to another. Hence it teaches 
that in all turnings and dealings with one's fellowmen, not to speak 
of the brethren, one must be fair and equal to all; neither domineering 
the poor and lowly, nor currying favor with the rich, but the same to 
all, giving equal rights, and demanding the same. 

Staff* Pilgrim's* Primarily a support for weary travellers, it had 
the character of a peaceful ( ?) weapon. Being made of some strong, 
tough wood, with a generous knob at the top, in the hands of a stout 
man it was not a weapon to be despised. In Christian art it is the 
attribute of such saints as had made a journey to some far distant shrine. 



STEEL GAUNTLET. 233 



The Archangel Gabriel is also accorded, as attributes, the pilgrim's 
staff and the gourd. 

See Pilgrim's Scrip, Sandals, and Staff; Gourd. 

Standard* A staff with flag or colors under which men are united 
or bound for some general purpose. The practice of carrying standards 
is of very remote antiquity. The first Roman standard was a bundle 
of straw tied to the top of a spear, but the figures of animals replaced 
the perishable material, and at the last the eagle became the general 
Roman ensign. 

Star* In ecclesiastical art, a star over the head or upon the breast 
of a saint signifies the divine attestation to his sanctity. "The starry 
host of heaven" is emblematical of the universe. Sometimes a star is 
used as a symbol of the Christ. This is based upon Revelation, xxii, 16; 
" I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning 
Star," which is a declaration of the fulfillment of the prophecy in Num- 
bers, xxiv, 17 ; "there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall 
rise out of Israel." In pictures of the Nativity, and the Epiphany, the 
Star of the East (btar of Bethlehem) is an invariable feature. 

According to Mohamed, the stars were hung by golden chains from 
the roof of the first of the seven heavens. 

The pole-star is used frequently as emblematical of guidance, of an 
end or aim, of a goal. The Accadians of old indicated the pole-star by a 
figure of four lines intersecting at their centres, thus forming an eight- 
rayed star. When shown on ancient coins the eight-rayed star is almost 
invariably accompanied by a crescent which indicates that the sun was 
intended and not a subordinate star. 

A star is often used without intending symbolism, simply as an orna- 
ment, or to call attention to a person of thing; as for instance, on the 
breast of a constable or policemean. 

See Five-pointed Star; Six-pointed Star; Moon. 

Steel Gauntlet* A leathern glove, covered with plates of steel, which 
are articulated so as to preserve the flexibility while not permitting the 
exposure of any unarmored spot. It is a type of firmness. Such was 
the underlying sense of the German Emperor's instructions to his Ad- 
miral of the Pacific squadron, when he gave orders to uphold the German 
interests even if compelled to the use of the " mailed fist." It is a relic of 
Medieval Chivalry, which is rapidly disappearing. 



234 SUN. 

Sticks, Bundle of* See Bundle oj Sticks. 

Stone EzeL This was a well-known stone in the neighborhood of 
King Saul's residence, and the scene of the parting between Jonathan and 
David. It was probably a mark of direction, set up by the way-side. 
The meaning of the word Ezel, "departure," and the marginal reading, 
"that showeth the way" would appear to bear this out. It is hardly 
likely that the stone itself formed the hiding place, but some spot near by, 
as the text has it, "and shalt remain by (that is near) the stone 
Ezel." It has come to signify concealment under the protection of the 
Lord. 

Storehouse of Wisdom* One of the many names applied to the 
Holy Bible. See Bible. 

Sun* The sun is indicated upon ancient coins by an eight-rayed star, 
usually accompanied by a crescent moon. In ecclesiastical art, the sun, 
upon the breast of a saint is symbolical of the light of wisdom. It has 
the same signification when worn as the jewel of Grand Master. Accord- 
ing to medieval astrologers, the influence of the sun was always favora- 
ble, and from it came hope, happiness, and gain. 

The sun was, in early times, a general, and in many cases, the most 
important object of religious worship. The ancient Egyptians sym- 
bolized the providence of God, by a winged sun; and invoked "the 
one hidden in the embrace of the sun, Osiris." (Plut. Is. and Os.) They 
also symbolized the life of man in the course of the sun overhead, and 
the type of his death in its setting and disappearance below the horizon. 
Hardly has this moment arrived when Osiris, the nocturnal sun, takes 
possession of the soul, and conducts it to eternal light. 

Over the entrance of a monument at Thebes, there is sculptured 
and colored a winged sun, by Egyptologists supposed to be an emblem 
of protection. The globe is colored red, the two serpents are golden, 
and the wings red and azured. The interval between the two serpents 
is filled by a green tint. The red is the symbol of love divine, the gold 
idicates the Word — Revelation, — the azure the air or divine breath, and 
the green the reflection of the regenerated earth. 

"The old Accadian dwellers by the Euphrates, pictured the sky 
as the counterpart of their own fertile plains, and the sun as a plough- 
man yoking his oxen to the glittering plough, with which he tilled the 
heavenly pasture. (^4. H. Sayce, Rel. Anc. Bab. p. 48). 



SUN. 235 

Portal has much to say about the sun. "The sun," he observes, 
"and gold and yellow were the symbols of the human understanding, 
enlightened and illuminated by divine revelation. It is in this sense 
that the prophet Daniel says, that those who are wise shall be shining 
with light, and that those who shall influence others to do justly shall 
shine eternally as the stars. Jesus Christ announces that the just shall 
shine as the sun in the Kingdom of the Father." 

" The celestial light revealed to man, finds its natural symbol in the 
light which shines over the earth. The heat and brightness of the sun 
designate the love of God which animates the heart, and the wisdom 
which enlightens the intellect. These two attributes of God manifest 
in the creation of the world and the regeneration of men, appear insepar- 
able in the signification of the sun, of gold and of yellow. The sun, the 
gold, and the yellow are not synonyms, but mark different degrees, 
which it is difficult to determine precisely. The natural sun was the 
symbol of the spiritual sun, gold expressed the natural sun, and yellow 
was the emblem of gold." 

"The Indian god Vishnu is the divine sun, the eternal mind, the 
word of God. Identical symbols appear in Egypt. Amon is the divine 
word, the new sun, the sun of spring. The Fathers of the Church called 
Jesus Christ the New Sun, the lamb divine, sacrificed to efface the sins 
of the world and to conquer the spirits of darkness. The Greek goddess 
Venus Regeneratrix is identified with the sun, the symbol of love and 
truth emanating from God. Apollo also personified the sun." (Sym. 
of Col. Passim). 

We find also among the Orphic Fragments, the sun called "the 
Father of all. " The sun itself, as a mere body or mass of fervid matter, 
does not appear to have been the real object of veneration, for there was 
always a spirit, or sentient being, who dwelt therein, and from whom 
emanated the powers of reproduction implanted in matter. This emana- 
tion, considered as the male principle, was continuous, and without it 
the female principle would soon have been exhausted. This continued 
emanation was doubly personified by the Greeks ; one signifying celestial 
love, the other animal love or desire, while the Egyptians gave it a third 
personification, from which the two former were derived. Pythagoras 
taught that the sun was the grand center of the universe, with all the 
planets moving around it, and was, by its attractive force, the cause 
of all union and harmony in the whole. Spires and pinnacles and obelisks 
are relicts of the old sun-worship. The Chinese in their symbolic writ- 



236 



SUN. 



ing, place a cock in a circle, as the emblem of the sun, while a Parsee 
would suffer death rather than kill one, so much does he regard its 
sacredness to the source of light, which he worships as the symbol of his 
God." (R. P. Knight). 




95. The Sun in Splendor. 

A Badge of Richard III., from the illuminated Manuscript No. 1319 of the 

Harleian Collection. The cut represents the sail of the ship in which 

the king returned from his unfortunate expedition to Ireland. 

In Heraldry, the sun is generally represented with a human face, 
and surrounded by rays, alternately wavy and straight. When represented 
with these rays, it is said to be in its glory, or in its splendor. The 
face represented in the heraldic sun, as well as in medieval religious 
ikons, is usually grotesque, though not intentionally so. The belief was 
in those days that each of the seven planets was the abode of an arch- 
angel, and Michael made his home in the sun. 

The sun is often introduced, in company with the moon, in pictures 
of the crucifixion. 




96. The Winged Sun. 
From the Door of the Chapel of Thothmes a Deir-el-Bakhri, xviii. Dynasty. 

As typical of light and heat, the sun was an emblem of the old First 
or White Degree. Bro. Grosh says, " It represents the universal benefi- 



SUPERSTRUCTURE. 237 



cence and vivifying power of God; and reminds us how constantly He 
blesses all — 'the evil and the good,' — 'the just and the unjust.' It thus 
teaches us to imitate that goodness that we 'may be the children of our 
Father who is in heaven.'" (Manual. Ed. 1868, p. 115). "The 
sun, the great fountain of light, represents Truth in its fulness and glory." 
(Ibid. 159). 

See Circumambulation, Crown; Gold; Moon; Star. 

Sunshine* Is emblematic of a condition of cheerfulness, brightness, 
and geniality caused by influences acting after the manner of the rays of 
the sun. To be " in the sunshine," or to " have the sun in one's eyes," is 
slang for having a little too much of that which intoxicates. 

Stmsnake. A peculiar figure something like the letter S, but broken 
in the middle by a cirlce or other device. It is often found with the bends 
at right-angles, like one bar of a fylfot or swastika. See under Cross. It 
was quite a common ornament in Europe during the Middle Ages, and is 
supposed to be an emblem, but if so its symbolism is lost. It may have 
had the significance of sigilli, "seal." 




97. SUNSNAKE. 

Sun with Heart and Hand* The Past Grand Master's jewel. See 
Hand; Heart; Sun. 

Sun with Scales and Sword. The Grand Master's jewel. See 
Scales and Sword; Sun. 

Superstructure* This word is used in the charge of the Past Grand 
to candidates in a figurative sense, forming a portion of the clause which, 
in its entirety, presents a beautiful figure representing the principles 
of the Order as constituting the principal portions of a great building, a 
building erected not for a day, but one to withstand the shock of cen- 
turies. Fraternity is the corner-stone upon and around which the 
other principles are grouped in a grand superstructure, which depends 



238 SWORD. 

like the walls, floors, and roof of a building, upon its foundation, its 
corner-stone, for its stability. 

SworcL In the Church, a sword is a symbol of martyrdom, and 
is significant of the manner of the death of the saint whose attribute it 
may be. Alone it may be considered as the emblem of a violent death. 
See Arms of St. Albans, under Crown. St. Paul, the great missionary 
and soldier of the Cross, in pictures, "bears the sword in a double sense, 

signifying his spiritual warfare and the manner of his death 

When he leans on his sword, it is his death which is represented; when 
he holds it aloft, it signifies the ' good fight ' which he fought. If two 
swords are given him, both the manner of his life and that of his death 
are signified." (Mrs. Clement) 

With the Israelites, the buckling on of the sword was a declaration of 
war, and theVhetting of it signified the preparation for a bloody strife. 
In the Scriptures it is^symbolic of the word of God. Exo. vi, 17; Heb. 
iv, 12 ; see also Rev. ; of prophecy in Isa. xlix, 2. 




98. Assyrian Sword. 

Julius Caesar once lost his sword, and the Gauls, on finding it, placed 
it in a temple, from which Caesar refused to take it as it had become 
consecrated. The sword of King Saul was placed in the temple of 
Ashtoreth, by the Philistines. Sam. xxxi, 10. The sword of Goliath 
had also been consecrated by the high-priest Ahimelech, and placed 
" behind the ephod," whence it was taken later by David. Attila, the 
King of the Huns, believed that a sword which had been consecrated 
would bring him victory and dominion over the Roman empire. The 
Scythians, Goths, and other pagan peoples worshipped a sword as the 
symbol or efl&gy of Mars An oath taken upon the edge of the sword 
was the most solemn and inviolable of all, unless we except that taken 
upon the hilt of the straight sword of later times, in which the guard 
formed a cross. In this was found a most expressive form, which com- 
bined all the ideas of the pagan penalties with that of the " faith in a 
spiritual reward" for fidelity. As late as the time of the Pretender, 
the Highlanders of his army " swore by their steel. " 



SWORD WITH CROOK AND CROWN. 239 

The sword is generally considered as the symbol of power, " of that 
despotic force, by which alone the rude and chaotic elements of human 
society were brought into subjection, the principles of order introduced, 
and the foundations of ancient nations laid. It also has the attribute 
of the power of sovereignty and overruling justice. At the coronation 
of some of England's kings, a pointless sword was carried before them 
as an emblem of mercy." Portal assigns to the sword the attribute of 
vengeance. One rusting in its scabbard is typical of armored peace, 
and it is said that one sword keeps another in its scabbard. 

Referring to the red horse of the Apocalypse, to whose rider was 
given a great sword, Portal says, "the horse is the symbol of quenched 
love, or good destroyed; where love no longer animates mankind, war 
arises and people are slaughtered." 

In Heraldry the sword is emblematic of power, or by its association 
with other charges, commemorative of some peculiar incident, as, for 
instance, the death of St. Alban. 

See Crown; Scales and Sword. 

Sword and Scales. See Scales and Sword. 

Sword with Crook and Crown* The emblem of the Patriarchs Mili- 
tant. The symbolism of the details, given under their appropriate 
titles, is evidence of how well the combination of the three emblems 
suits the definition given "Patriachs Militant" by Past Grand 
Sire Underwood. Here the crook, typifying the peace of pastoral 




99. The Sword with Crook and Crown. • 

pursuits, crossed by the sword, emblem of the soldier, constitutes a rep- 
resentation of the Cross of St. Andrew, or the cross formed by the "wood 
for the burnt offering" placed upon Isaac's shoulders by his father 



240 SYMBOLISM. 



Abraham ; the antitypal cross of Christianity. These, encircled by the 
crown, complete the story — "The peaceful ruler serving as a soldier." 
See Cross; Crown; Crook; Ram. 

Symbolism* " Solitude has great and awful instructions. Shake- 
speare, Chaucer, Homer, and Dante saw the splendour of meaning that 
plays over the visible world ; they knew that a tree had another use than 
for bearing apples, and corn another than for meal, and the ball of the 
earth another than for tillage and roads; — they knew that these things 
bear a second and a finer harvest to the mind of man, being emblems of 
his thought, and conveying in all their processes and natural history 
a certain mute commentary on human life." (Emerson). 

Symbolism is the reading or the interpretation of an object, action or 
language, in a much different, yet analogous, form from that which is 
literally shown. The object may be trivial, barbarous; the action most 
commonplace, the language simple, but nevertheless, from associations 
connected therewith, notions of something higher, of greater importance 
are presented to the mind of the informed. Much the same as the sight 
of a simple fishing pole, calling to the mind of him who is an adept in the 
gentle art, days of sunshine, green fields, babbling brooks, shady nooks, 
wet feet, shining and wriggling prizes; monster fish that "got away," 
and the glorious feeling of freedom from care, and the lack of interest in 
passing time, not to speak of the luxury of the couch after the day's sport 
is over and the last story told. 

The Rev. O. D. Miller, in his wonderful work "Har-moad," 
illustrates in an excellent manner this development of the commonplace 
article into one of extreme symbolic meaning. He says: — "It cannot 
be denied that the shovel is a concrete object, and one sufficiently ordi- 
nary and humble; but who can fail to admire the artistic skill that has 
raised this common utensil of the household to the rank of a symbol 
of the primitive worship of mankind — that of the hearth The hearth 
and the divinity of the hearth, constituted the focus of all the ancient 
civilizations. It was around the firesides of primeval humanity that 
those elemental organizations were formed, those social and semi- 
political customs instituted, and religious conceptions and sentiments nur- 
tured, which subsequently, by the simple process of expansion and redup- 
lication, developed themselves into tribal and national institutions. 
The hearth was the family altar, the blaze upon it the symbol of the 
divinity which presided over the household. The altar of the tribe was 



TABERNACLE. 241 



its hearth as the national altar was the hearth of the nation; while the 
shovel was the emblem of the hearth." 

It is well known that the ancient mysteries and religious were taught 
in symbolic language, as well as by emblems, but because of the ret- 
icence of the initiated, who must have been bound by the most fearful 
oaths not to divulge their meanings, it is practically impossible to either 
reproduce the mysteries or even to interpret many of the mythological 
legends. Herodotas, a very prolific writer, who had great opportunities 
for observation, if indeed he was not an initiate, many times stops short 
in descriptions of ceremonials, because, as he explains, they belong to 
the mystic religon. 

The symbolism of Odd-fellowship, while not to any great extent 
expatiated upon in the lectures and charges, outside of the objects 
denominated "emblems of the Order," has yet a vast influence upon the 
minds of candidates, and of the older members as well, in the way of 
moulding thought and action. Some of these symbols are apparently 
so insignificant, it might be supposed that they are entirely ignored, yet 
insignificant as they are, they work quietly and persistently, and ere long 
one becomes so imbued with their notions that they become a part of 
one's nature and being so imbued one cannot act otherwise than after 
their teachings. 

44 *£*> rpj^ twentieth letter in the English alphabet, as a medieval 
numeral stood for 160, and with a line above it, T, 160,000. The 
Hebrew has two equivalents for T. One, ft, teth, has the value of 9; 
the other, J^, tav, the value of 400. The latter is interesting from its 
connection with Christian symbolism, as indicative of an "Anticipatory 
Cross." See Cross. 

Tabcrnack* Though not mentioned in the ritual, the tabernacle of 
the wilderness and the priestly offices connected therewith are the 
basis of the most important Degree in the Order, — " that which crowns 
the fabric." It is thought well to give in this place a short description 
of. this tent ; the sanctuary and visible assurance of the Divine Presence 
in the midst of the people, where the Most High might meet and speak 
unto them, and they might draw nigh unto Him. I will sanctify, said the 

Lord, the Tabernacle of Meeting, there will I meet with 

. . . . and will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their 
God, and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. (Exodus, xxix, 
42-46; xxx, 6, 36). 

16 



242 TABERNACLE. 



The area or court, within which the tabernacle stood, was a parallel- 
ogram about 150 feet long by 75 feet wide. The walls of this court 
were formed of curtains of fine linen about seven and one-half feet 
high supported by twenty posts on each longer side and ten on the 
shorter, standing in sockets of brass and having their capitals overlaid 
with silver. These posts were connected by silver rods to which the 
curtains were hung by silver hooks. The lower edges of the curtains 
were held in place by brass pegs driven into the ground. The entrance 
to the court was in the middle of the Eastern side, where three sections 
between posts were elegantly draped with curtains of fine twined linen 
of blue and purple and scarlet. 

It would appear that the tabernacle itself was placed so that its 
front rested on the center of the court, leaving a square space, in the 
middle of which was placed the Altar of Burnt-Offerings. (See). 
Between it and the tent stood the great Laver for purification, 
where the priests washed their hands and the flesh of the victims of the 
altar. 

The tabernacle was a magnificent and elaborate tent, 45 feet long 
by 15 feet wide and high. Its walls were supported by planks of acacia- 
wood, each plank having two tenons which were fitted to sockets of silver 
that formed the foundation. The sockets were pointed like the blade 
of a spear. Cross-bars, also of acacia-wood, united the supports by 
passing through golden rings. The roof was composed, first, on the 
inside, of a variously colored fine twined linen cloth adorned with figures 
of cherubim curiously wrought. Next to this were placed eleven thick- 
nesses of cloth made of goats' hair; then one of rams' skins with the wool 
dyed scarlet; lastly a covering of badgers' or seals' skins. 

The tabernacle was divided into two apartments; the Holy Place 
and the Holy of Holies. (Exodus xxvi, 32). 

The Holy Place, in which stood the Altar of Incense, the Seven- 
branched Candlestick, and the Table of Shew-bread, was 30 feet in 
length. 

The Holy of Holies, separated from the Holy Place by a most costly 
and gorgeously worked veil of gold and purple and scarlet and fine- 
twined linen, formed a perfect cube, 15 feet in length, breadth, and 
height. (See Cube). While the Holy Place was without light, save 
that from the seven lamps of the great candlestick, the Holy of Holies was 
in utter darkness, symbolical of Him whom no man hath seen, nor can see. 
(1 Tim. vi, 16). 



TABLES OF STONE, CROSS AND CRESCENT. 243 

"The Beth-Moad, or Hebrew tabernacle, was expressly designed, 
like the pyramidal temples of the Euphrates valley, as an imitation, an 
architectural reproduction of the Har-Moad, or the "mountain of the 
assembly" in the sides of the North, the traditional abode of primeval 
humanity. In other terms, the celestial and the terrestrial paradise, 
united by the sacred mountain, of which Mt. Sion and all the sacred 
mountains of antiquity were but reflections. (Rev. O. D. Miller, 
Har-moad, 227). 

Tables of Stone, Cross and Crescent* A combination symbol of 

religious tolerance, one of the grandest tenets of Odd-fellowship, and an 
emblem of the Encampment. The Tables of Stone — the basis of the 
Mosaic law — is the representative of the religion of the Jews, though 
accepted by both Christian and Moslem as divine command. The cross 
is typical of the Christian, and the crescent of the Mohamedan. To- 
gether they are indicative of that " sacred tolerance, which, by its gentle 
influence, gathers within its orbit antagonistic natures, controls the 
elements of discord, stills the storm, and directs in harmony" the world- 
wide fraternizing influences of Odd-fellowship." 




100. The Tables of Stone. 

"Followers of different teachers, ye are worshippers of One God, 
who is Father of all, and therefore 'ye are brethren As such, Charity and 
speaking the truth in love, should prevail among us — unity in good works, 
wherein all agree; toleration in opinions, wherein we differ. {Rev. A. 
B. Grosh, Manual, Ed. 1868, 283). 

See Ten; Ten Commandments; Cross; Crescent. 



244 TEMPLE. 



Temple* From the most remote antiquity to the present day the 
temple has been considered the symbol of the universe with Deity as its 
center. The sacred fire, symbol of Vesta, who was held equally with 
Ceres as the personification of the Earth, or rather of the genial heat 
which pervades it, and to which its productive powers were supposed to 
be owing, was by the early Greeks placed in the center of a circular 
temple, as a representation of the Earth, the great center about which 
the whole universe revolved. More primitive than these were the 
circles of rude stones like those of Stonehenge in England, whose use, 
undoubtedly religious, dates back of historic times. These circles 
are found in most places where primitive man is known to have existed. 
Such also were the Pyraethea of the Persians, the so-called fire-worship- 
pers. 

"The Persians, or Puritans of Heathenism, thought it impious or 
foolish to employ any more complicated structures in the service of the 
Deity; whence they destroyed, with unrelenting bigotry, the magnificent 
temples of Aegypt and Greece. Their places of worship were circles of 
stones, in the center of which they kindled the sacred fire, the only 
symbol of their god; for they abhorred statues, as well as temples and 
altars; thinking it unworthy of the majesty of the Deity to be repre- 
sented by any definite form, or to be circumscribed in any determinate 
space. The universe was his temple, and the all-pervading element of 
fire his only representative; whence their most solemn act of devotion 
was kindling an immense fire on the top of a high mountain, and offering 
up in it quantities of wine, honey, oil, and all kinds of perfumes; as 
Mithradates did with great expense and magnificence, according to the 
rites of his Persian ancestors, when about to engage in his second war 
with the Romans; the event of which was to make him lord of all or 
nothing." (R. P. Knight, Anc. and Myth. p. 61). 

Next came the temples of the pyramidal type, also with their sym- 
bolism of the universe. These were numerous on the plains of Chaldea, 
and not unknown in Egypt. Built up as square platforms or stages, each 
of which was emblematic of and dedicated to one of the planets, they 
were surmounted by a comparatively small shrine or temple wherein 
was placed and worshipped some emblem of the Deity. 

Following these were the grand and beautiful temples ; marvels of 
engineering and of mural art, with their cyclopean colonnades, their 
profoundly impressive shadows made more intense by the sharp pencils 
of sunlight that filtered in through the ventilating openings of the roof; 



TEMPLE. 245 



yet even in these there was one particular space, set apart, where none 
but the anointed dare tread, for the abiding place of the Deity. Sim- 
ilarly, the Jewish Tabernacle was thus in a measure a representative 
of the cosmos. Of a size convenient for transportation, its great court 
was the emblem of the universe which had for its center the Deity, the 
great Jehovah, whose throne was the Mercy-Seat upon the ark of the 
covenant^ concealed from the profane in the darkness of the Holy of 
Holies in the farther end of the sacred tent. 

The temples of Jerusalem were but enlarged copies of the taber- 
nacle, but built of more permanent materials. 

There were three temples built in Jerusalem by the Jews. The 
first, that of Solomon, was a comparatively small affair as regards the 
sanctuary itself, being but about 90 feet long by 30 feet wide and 30 feet 
high. The great court in which the people assembled was a square of 
about 600 feet. This temple, though the smallest of the three, was held 
to have been the most magnificent because of the lavish use of the pre- 
cious metals, which made it fairly blaze in the sunlight. For some 420 
years Solomon's temple was the center of the religious and political life 
of the Jews, till it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, B. C. 586, on the 
sacking of the city. 

The next temple, that erected by Zerubbabel, we find but little 
account of. In Ezra vi, 3, we find that this edifice was about one-third 
larger in each dimension than that of Solomon, but it did not compare 
in the least with its predecessor in magnificence and Oriental gorgeous- 
ness. The exiles returned from their captivity with but little of the 
world's goods and the country was but a poor place at the time wherein 
to collect the vast treasure required for such a purpose. This building 
erected about 520 B. C. remained till about B. C. 9, when it was 
superseded by the last temple, the one which knew the Christ, and 
within sight of which, doubtless, Jesus rebuked the cavilling lawyer 
with the story of the good Samaritan. 

Probably as a stroke of policy Herod the Great rebuilt the temple 
of Zerubbabel upon an enlarged scale. " The new edifice was a stately 
pile of Graeco-Roman architecture, built in white marble with gilded 
acroteria. The New Testament has made us familiar with the pride of 
the Jews in its magnificence." {Smith, Bib. Diet). Beautiful as it was, 
and built by a Roman, by a Roman it was destroyed in A. D. 70, 
to be superseded years later by a Byzantine church now converted into 
a Mohamedan mosque. 



246 TEN. 

Ten» The number of perfection, appears to have possessed a sig- 
nificance for the ancients second only to the number seven. We find 
in the Book of Genesis, that in creating the world and its inhabitants, 
ten expressions were used in which " God said." Gen. i, 3, 6, 9, 11, 
14, 20, 24, 26, 29; ii, 18. There were ten generations from Adam to 
Noah. Similarly, in the Babylonian genealogy, Berosus gives ten gen- 
erations from the first to him who survived the deluge. Alorus, Ala- 
parus, Almelon, Ammemnon, Amagalarus, Davonus, Edoranchus, 
Amemphsinus, Otiartes, and Xisusthrus. From Noah to Abraham 
was another ten generations. Abraham was proved in his faith by 
ten trials. Ten plagues were visited upon Egypt before the Israelites 
were permitted to escape the "house of bondage." Ten miracles were 
wrought in the wilderness for the benefit of the wanderers, and ten were 
wrought in the Temple at Jerusalem. Ten commandments were given 
by God to man on Mt. Sinai. 

Mohamed is alleged to have named ten signs that will precede the 
"last day;" the smoke, the beast of the earth, an eclipse in the East, 
another in the West, and a third in the peninsula of Arabia, the appear- 
ance of anti-Christ, the sun's rising in the West, the eruption of Gog and 
Magog, the descent of Jesus upon earth, and fire which shall break out 
from Aden. (Sales.) 

There were ten Dactyli, fabulous beings, originally three in number, 
but afterwards this number was raised to five, and again to ten; five 
male and five female. To them is ascribed the discovery of iron and 
the art of working it with fire. 




1 01. Triangle of Ten Triangles. 

It remained, however, for Pythagoras to develop the symbolism of 
this number. This he did by arranging nine equilateral triangles into 
one grand triangle, wherein he found the points of intersection of the 
lines to be ten in number. The point at the apex, called the monad, 



TEN COMMANDMENTS. 247 

which represents unity, also answers to the geometric point; that is, 
location without any dimension, and was held to symbolize the active 
principle of life, or the Creator. The two points, termed the duad, and 
representing the extremities of a geometric line, possessing length only, 
were significant of the passive principle, or matter. The row of three, 
denominated the triad, indicated the two dimensions required for a 
superficies, and was emblematic of the world, proceeding from the union 
of the monad and the duad. The row of four points, embracing the 
three lines or dimensions of a cube, brought the whole into perfect har- 
mony, as the four points symbolized, not only deity, but the cube which 
represented heaven. In his search for natural phenomena conforming 
to his harmonic ten, Pythagoras determined that there were ten celestial 
bodies, eight beside the sun and moon. But as far as could be seen in 
his day there were but a total of nine, therefore he imagined the tenth, 
calling it Antichthone, the counter earth. He also counted ten Princi- 
piae, or co-ordinates: The finite and the infinite; the odd and the even; 
the one and the many; the right and the left; the male and the female; 
the quiescent and the moving; the right line and the curve; light and 
darkness; good and evil; and the square and the oblong. 
See Four. 

Ten Commandments* These are termed " Words of the Covenant," 
in Exodus xxxiv, 28; Deut. iv, 13; the "Testimony" in Exodus xxv, 16, 
21; xxxi, 18. The circumstances under which these ten commands 
were delivered to the people must have filled them with terror and 
amazement. The black and lowering cloud, the darkness and the 
flashing of the ligntning, the fiery smoke and the trumpet sounding 
thunder, told them in a manner not to be misunderstood that it was 
God, not man, who was speaking to them through these awful terrors. 
Never was other proclamation issued in like manner. No other writings 
can be said to have been written as were these. Many stones have been 
inscribed by the hands of men, but none other than these "Tables" 
were ever written by the " finger of God." In the description, both of the 
first and of the second set of these laws, stress seems to be laid upon the 
fact that there were two tables. No doubt this distinction was considered 
important, as dividing the precepts, so that the first contained the 
"Duties to God," and the second the "Duties to our Neighbors." 

These divisions are, however> variously made. The Jews, accord- 
ing to Josephus and Philo, placed five rules in each. The most familiar 



248 



TENT. 



division refers the first four to our duties toward God, and the remainder 
to our duties toward each other. The Roman Catholic Church puts 
only three in the first table, and the other seven in the second. 

Never has there been a moral code to equal this in comprehensive 
brevity. It teaches all things good and what should be avoided as evil. 
From that day of " appalling majesty and sublimity," till now, it has been 
impossible to improve upon them. The many vain attempts of legisla- 
tors and dictators have at best simply elaborated upon details, and 
specified physical punishments for infractions of laws which are no 
more nor less than paraphrases of those written upon the two tables of 
stone at Mt. Sinai, and acknowledged alike by Christian, Jew, and 
Moslem, 

See Ten; Tables of Stone, Cross and Crescent. 

Tent. An emblem of the Patriarchal Degree, the tent is used also as 
a badge of the Encampment branch of the Order. It is typical of an 
humble abode and symbolical of hospitality. In a hot dry country like 




1 02. The Tent. 
From Thompson's Land and the Book. 



Syria, where the population is scattered into nomadic bands, always 
seeking water and food for themselves as well as for their live stock, the 
tent is a necessity to shield them from the blazing heat of the sun, and as 
a refuge against the terrible sand storms which are quite frequent. 
There are no permanent houses because of the frequent removals made 
necessary by the drying'up of the streams and springs, as well as the sparse - 
ness of the grass and other vegetation which are rapidly exhausted, and a 
move to the next desirable spot is required. According to Mr. Layard, 



THIRTEEN. 249 



these moves occur on an average of every six weeks. The great lack of 
water and the constant change of locality, have fostered an interchange of 
courtesies between the different tribes, or it might better be said house- 
holds ; those who for the time being are stationary entertaining for a few 
days such as are searching for pasture. It is a sad fact, however, that 
while the one entertains the other in a most hospitable manner, the chances 
are that the guest will be hardly on his way ere the whilom host is after 
him like a pirate; unless indeed they have eaten salt together. Ordi- 
narily the Arab tent is but a great awning under which the women and 
children lounge in lazy contentment. It is always open save during a 
storm, and even then the leeward side is kept raised. Always open, it 
invites the heated and weary traveller to rest in the luxury of shade, even 
if there is a lack of food. It is this " always open" state that gives it its 
symbolic meaning. 

Third Degree* In the old work the Third Degree was also entitled 
" the Royal Blue Degree." Its metaphorical teachings are exemplified 
in the present Second, or Degree of Brotherly Love. 

The present Third Degree, or Degree of Truth, is the embodiment 
of the principles of all the other degrees. Its method is based, in an 
emblematic form, upon a certain ancient ritualistic priestcraft, the 
scene being laid in a place of worship wherein the presence of the Most 
High God was recognized, and in which no foot dare tread save that of 
His anointed priests; those only, indeed, who were filled with "Truth," 
knowledge, certain and incontrovertible. 

See Scarlet Degree; Royal Blue Degree; Truth, Degree of. 

Thirteen* This so-called unlucky number has had many explana- 
tions as to how it came to be so regarded. That usually accepted as the 
true one is, that at the " Last Supper" there were thirteen who sat at the 
table, and one (Judas) came to a bitter end. It is doubtful that the 
number is more unlucky than any other. Should some other number 
be selected as an unlucky one, and all the adverse happenings which may 
fall into its sequence watched for, it would be strange if one could not 
find sufficient to satisfy oneself of its malign influence. Conversely, if 
one should watch for the good and the pleasant sequences of the number 
thirteen, it would be as strange if its benignity would not overshadow 
that of all other numbers. It is a peculiar trait of the human character 
to recognize only that which is looked for or expected, failing entirely 
to notice the opposite. 



250 THREE. 

The ancient Assyrians apparently had no fear of thirteen. In fact 
they seem to have had a preference for it, even to the furnishing of their 
sacred pine tree with thirteen cones or fruits. The Chinese reckoned 
the heavens by the number thirteen, that is, the sun and the twelve signs 
of the Zodiac. They also divided their country into provinces, over 
each of which was placed a chief ruler and twelve mandarins to rule 
the people. 

The rotation of the moon about the earth thirteen times in the year 
does not appear to enter into the superstition attached to the number. 
At least no record of it can be found. 

Regarding the thirteen who sat at the " Last Supper," it may be well 
to remember that they were the beginning of the Christian Church, which 
by its teachings of love for God and man has been so potent an influence 
in civilizing and bettering the condition of humanity. They had their 
antitype in the patriarch Jacob and his twelve sons, and are symbolized 
in the Twelve Foundation Stones of the New Jerusalem, with Christ as 
the Corner-Stone. 

There were thirteen colonies in America, which, throwing off the 
oppressor's yoke, introduced to the world a glorious banner bearing 
thirteen stripes. Would any one dream that these thirteen stripes could 
be unlucky! And when the great Union which sprang from these 
original thirteen colonies has taken into full statehood the few remaining 
territories, there will be four times thirteen stars in the constellation on 
that beautiful banner. 

Portal, however, says " the number twelve was a perfect and com- 
plete number; the number thirteen indicated the commencement of a 
new course of life ; and thence it became the emblem of death, even before 
Christianity." 

Three. This number has from time immemorial been held in great 
esteem. It seems to pervade almost everything said or done. In 
geometry three lines are, at the least, required to delineate a regular 
surface other than a circle, and solids are reckoned by three dimensions. 
In speaking of qualities of mind or matter, there always appears to be 
something lacking, a void, if three are not named. Nearly all religions 
have three principal personifications of the God-head. The Chaldeans 
had their Ana, Bel, and Hea. The Assyrians had one great god, but 
he is frequently represented by a winged figure having three heads, 
while Ormazd the one supreme god of the Medes, appears under the 



THREE. 251 

three titles of Creator, Preserver, and Gov ^rnor of the universe. " The 
chief objects of Babylonian worship were\ ■'I, Merodach, and Nebo." 
(Rawlinson). The great Hindu triad, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiv, the 
offspring of Brahm and Maya were left, after Brahm disappeared, to 
frame the universe. (Light of Asia). The old Northmen had three 
principal gods as well, — Odin, Freyja, and Thor. It is needless to 
mention the Trinity of the Christian. Almost all sacred writers have 
adopted a three-fold division of the human powers, — the spirit, the sou 
and the body. This probably originally proceeded from the three 
chief divisions of the cosmos, — the heavens, the atmosphere, and the 
earth. (Rev. O. D. Miller). The Aryan Cabiri, those indefinite gods 
— men (which?) appear in a three-fold character. As gods, having 
creative powers; as priest-kings; and as a temple-craft. It is difficult to 
distinguish between them. They were pre-eminently founders in every 
sense; founders of the world, of civil and religious institutions, and of 
temples and sacred edifices generally. (Ibid). Immortality is reck- 
oned by the Buddhists to be as long as the three regions, — earth, sky, and 
heaven. They consider also that man has in his heart three fires of 
lust, — anger, delusion, and the craving from whence they come. They 
have also a prayer word, "Om," which is divided vocally into three 
syllables, of which the A denotes Brahma in the form of Vaishwanar, 
the human soul in its waking state. The U refers to him as Taijasa, in 
the state of dreaming. The M represents him as Prajna, in the state 
of deep sleep. The combined syllable Om, i. e. AUM, denotes him at 
once as the supreme invisible, blissful, without a second. They teach 
that there are three doors, whence proceed that which is good, and that 
which is evil; the body, the speech, and the mind; and three thoughts 
on which the mind of the ascetic ought constantly to dwell; imper- 
manency, sorrow, and unreality. (Sir E. Arnold, L. of A). 

The classic nations had their triads of gods, as did also Egypt. In 
Samothrace they appeared in the three celebrated statues of Scopas, 
called Venus, or Aphrodite, Pothos, and Phaethon, or, Nature, Attraction 
and Light. The Scandinavian gods Odin, Freyja, and Thor compre- 
hended the attributes of Jupiter and Mars, Juno and Venus, and Her- 
cules and Bacchus, respectively. Thor indeed, like Jupiter, was the 
mediator between heaven and earth, having the general command of the 
terrestrial atmosphere. Even in the remote islands of the Pacific Ocean 
the supposed descendants of the Malays have a triad of supreme deities, 
—God, the Father; God, the Son; and the Bird or Spirit. (E.P. Knighf). 



252 THREE. 

The Egyptians signified their divine triad by a simple triangle. "The 
perpendicular side is compared to the male, the base to the female, and 
the hypothenuse to the offspring of the two. Osiris represents the be- 
ginning, Isis the medium or receptacle, and Horus the accomplishment." 
(Plutarch, Isis and Osiris). The most ancient form of triadic symbol 
appears to be that of three lines, or three human legs, springing from a 
central disc or circle, called a trinachria, (or triskele) and supposed to 
allude to the island of Sicily, but which is of Asiatic origin. (R. P. 
Knight). Three armored legs, flexed at the knee, form the device upon 
the arms of the Isle of Man. 

Chinese superstition asserts itself in the number three. There is a 
triple gateway to each of the great halls of the imperial palace, and the 
same order prevails at the Ming tombs; while the sacred person of the 
emperor, when at his Pekin home, could only be approached, even by the 
highest official, after three times three prostrations. Their temple of 
heaven has a triple roof, a triple marble staircase, and all its mystic 
symbolism points to three or its multiples. 

To three poor shepherds was the announcement given by the angels 
of the birth of Jesus. Three wise men came from the East to worship 
Him who were born King of the Jews. Tradition gives their names as 
Gasper, Melchior, and Balthazer, and says they were Kings of Cologne. 
They offered Him gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. This choice 
of gifts was intended to ascertain whether the mysterious stranger was a 
king, or a prophet, or God himself. If he were a king he would accept 
the gold, if he were a poor man he would choose the myrrh, but if God 
He would take the incense. As both God and man, the King of kings 
veiled in humanity, He accepted from them all three of their gifts. 
(Hulme) . When Christ went up into the high mountain, he took but three 
of his apostles with him; and while they stood apart, three men in 
raiment as white as the light appeared unto them: Jesus, Moses and 
Elias. Then called Peter and asked to build three tabernacles, one for 
Him and one for each of the other two. Christ warned Peter that three 
times he would deny Him; and thrice did Peter swear he knew Him not. 
Three times in agony of spirit Christ prayed in the garden of 
Gethsemane, and it was three times ten pieces of silver that Judas 
received for his treachery. The apostles ascribed to Him as perfect 
God, creation, omnipotence, and omniscence. There were three Maries 
who attended Him at the crucifixion and at the tomb, — Mary of 
Cleopas, Mary Salome, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus. 



THREE. 253 

The Roman Catholic, and some of the Anglican churches, hold 
upon Good Friday, a three hour service — from noon to three o'clock — 
commemorative of Christ's suffering upon the cross. The time taken 
corresponds to the three hours of darkness spoken of in Matt, xxvii, 45 ; 
Luke, xxiii, 44. 

Mohamed, in his Koran, denies the doctrine of the trinity, and con- 
demns the idolatry of his countrymen who worshipped Alat, Menat, 
and Al Uzza, whom they claimed to be the daughters of the gods. The 
Musselman reckons three voices that God delights to hear; the voice con- 
stantly reading the Koran; the voice that rises early in prayer, and the 
voice of the great cock, the angel of cocks, who joins in when the 
Almighty sings a morning hymn. They name the archangels sent to 
Abraham with the promise of a son, Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil. 
Their theological virtues are Faith in one God, Charity to kindred, and 
Purity of Life. 

In classical mythology there were three Parcae, or fates; Clotho, 
the spinner of the thread of life ; Lachesis, the disposer of lots of life, and 
Atropos, "the inflexible," the fate that cannot be avoided. To these 
mighty goddesses both gods and men must submit. Sometimes Atropos 
is represented as cutting the thread of life spun by Clotho. There were 
also three Furiae, "'Furies." These were the goddesses of vengeance, 
and were so much dreaded by the Greeks that they dared not speak 
their names, and so called them "Eumenides," — gracious or well- 
meaning ones. Their names were Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. 
They were the daughters of Earth or of Night, and were terrible winged- 
maidens, with serpents twined in their hair, and with blood dripping 
from their eyes. Stern and inexorable, they punished the guilty, both 
in this world and after death. In the Platonian philosophy, three is 
used as the image of the Supreme Deity, because it bears the properties 
of the first two numerals, and contains within itself a beginning, a middle, 
and an ending. The number is noticeable in the trident of Neptune; 
in the forked thunderbolt of Jupiter; in Pluto's three-headed dog, 
Cerberus. The sun had three names Apollo, Sol, and Liber; the moon 
also, Diana, Luna, and Hecate. 

In the incantations of magicians three was also a favorite 
number. The object used was waved three times. The words of 
incantation were repeated as many. Circumambulation was thrice 
made. Indeed, nothing could be accomplished with less than three 
movements. 



254 THREE. 

" An old Saxon mss. says — Three days there are in the year which 
we call Egyptian days, that is, in our own language, dangerous days on 
any occasion whatever, to the blood of man or beast. In the month we 
call April, the last Monday; and there is the second, at the coming 
(i. e. before the 15th) of the month we call August; there is the third, 
which is the first Monday of the going out (i. e. after the 15th) of the 
month called December. He who on these three days reduces blood, be 
it of man or of beast, this we have heard say, that speedily on the first 
or seventh day his life he will end. Or if his life be longer so that he 
come not to the seventh day, or if he drink some time in these three 
days, he will end his life; and he that tastes of goose-flesh, within forty 
days' space, his life he will end." (Walsh, Pop. Cus. 447). 

The Persians derived their three orders of priests, warriors, and 
husbandmen from the three sons of Zarathrustra, just as the Norsemen 
derived their three classes of society from Thrall, Karl, and Jarl, the 
three sons of Heimdal." (W. E. Heam, Aryan House, 144). 

The "three estates" in Great Britain are the lords spiritual, the 
lords temporal, and the commons; while the "three F's" of Ireland are 
the demands of the Irish Land League, — Free sale, fixity of tenure, and a 
fair rent. The shamrock must not be forgotten as the emblem given 
Ireland by St. Patrick as indicative of the Holy Trinity. " Three L's " 
is a sailor's phrase for "lead, latitude, and lookout," signifying that care 
in using the first in sounding, a knowledge of the second, and an atten- 
tive performance of the last, will carry any vessel safely off shore. The 
expression " three R's " was originated by Sir William Curtis, a somewhat 
illiterate, yet eminent Lordmayor of London. Having occasion at a 
banquet to offer a toast, he said — " I will give you the three R's, 'riting, 
reading, and 'rithmetic. To be "three sheets in the wind," one must 
be very tipsy or drunk. "Three trees" refers to a gallows formed of 
three timbers, two as posts, the third crossing and connecting them on 
top. The "three mile limit" off shore, which is acknowledged by 
international law to be under the jurisdiction and a part and parcel of 
the domain it borders, was, at the time it was originally adopted, equal 
to a cannon-shot from the shore. The maximum effective range of the 
great guns of those days rarely equalled that. 

Of particular interest to Odd Fellows of the higher degrees are the 
three Patriarchs of olden-times, — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the 
triad of celestial virtues, — Faith, Hope, and Charity, represented by 
the three pillars of Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty; while all respond 



THREE-LINKS. 255 



to the grand Motto of Friendship, Love, and Truth. The time was 
when the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows laid great stress upon the 
symbolism of three, which manifested itself in giving all the principle 
officers two attendants, or supporters, each, so as to have a cluster of 
three brothers at each station. 

See Three Links; Three Pillars; Triskele. 

Three Arrows* See Arrows, Three. 

Three-Links* Sui generis the emblem of Odd-fellowship, being 
used by no other Order. At the present time, any attempt at an ex- 
planation of its origin is mere speculation. It would appear that its 
derivation from the interlocking horns of the "three stag-heads," — 
one of the emblems of the "Most Noble Order of Bucks," — as advanced 
by Past Grand Master Stillson, is somewhat strained. In a country 
like England, where Odd-fellowship was first developed into a formal 
fraternity, the excessive use of symbolism ecclesiastically could hardly 
fail to have a strong influence upon anyone having use for it in 
other directions. The people breathe it in the atmosphere; their eyes 
are constantly assailed with its multifarious forms; its explanations and 
applications are ever ringing in their ears; and of all the symbols used, 
none are more prominent than the triquetra, the three interlaced circles 
of the Eternal Trinity. In almost every Anglican, Greek, or Roman 




103. Triquetra. 

Catholic church these three circles can be seen, not only as mural 
decorations, but as ornaments upon the altar cloths, the priest's invest- 
ments, on books, in fact, in every conceivable place. A single circle 
symbolizing eternity, the three circles interlaced indicate the eternity 
of the Christian Trinity united in one. If now, as has been and is 
often yet the case, these circles are worked out in garlands of ever- 
greens, interlaced and held up by one, the stretching out into the elliptic 
form could not fail to impress its adaptability for use as the trinity about 
whose shrine a vast army of whole-souled men might cluster to do it 



256 THREE PILLARS 



honor. Here we have a more natural derivation; one that appears in 
every way to fit the case. 

This actually happened not a great while ago in a certain church 
in Watertown, N. Y. The minister — Presbyterian — had been but a 
little while a member of the Order, when he held a service for Odd 
Fellows. Upon the platform was a large frame containing three evergreen 
circles, disposed as in the triquetra; each circle enclosing an initial of 
the motto. The three-links then as with the triquetra, represent a triad 



104. The Three Links. 

in eternity. Eternal Friendship for fellowman; eternal Brotherly 
Love, which binds together all nations, tongues, and creeds: eternal 
Truth, which consecrates the whole in one great and sacred fraternity 
under the Eternal Father. 
See Heraldry. 

Three Pillars* The usual notion of a pillar is that of a shaft or pile 
used as an architectural expedient for supporting a superstructure. Its 
earliest application was possibly for votive or monumental purposes. 
This was so when Jacob (Gen. xxviii, 18) took the stone which had 
served him as a pillow and set it up for a pillar, and consecrated it. He 
also set a pillar over the grave of his beloved Rachel. (Gen. xxxv, 20). 
There are many instances of this use of the pillar as a memorial. The 
many obelisks and pillars standing free from buildings in Egypt, in- 
scribed with the history and character of by-gone kings, are memorials. 
The celebrated Pompey's pillar is a well-known example. Frequently 
a pillar was set up to commemorate a victory, or other notable event, a 
modern example being the Column Vendome in Paris. 

The pillar in the form of an obelisk is emblematic of the sun's rays, 
or its light. As such it is frequently found upon ancient coins decorating 
the heads of Kings and emperors whom the artist would deify, or at any 
rate accord divine attributes. 

We find in the Bible, the word pillar used in other senses; as an 
emblem of strength or support in Jer. i, 18; as descriptive of form in 



THREE PILLARS. 



257 



referring to the pillar of fire and of cloud over the tabernacle, as well as of 
the feet of the "Mighty angel" in Rev. x, i. 

The symbolism of the pillar is at the present time almost entirely 
considered as typical of supporting strength. As frequently seen in 
cemeteries, broken or cast down, the hidden meaning, of the strength 
and the support of the household having given way, is readily per- 
ceived. Often men are spoken of as the pillars of the church or other 
organizations, because they are the principle stay or support of it. 

Students of architecture claim that there are only three distinctive 
orders, of which columns or pillars are the prominent features. These 
are the Corinthian, the Doric, and the Ionic; all others being but^com- 




105. The Three Pillars. 



binations or imitations of them. The Corinthian, the most ornate, 
with its beautifully foliated capital of conventionalized acanthusleaves, 
is an imitation of the equally beautiful lotus-formed Egyptianjstyle. 
The lotus is a water lily, the Nymphcea nelumbo of Linnaus, and is 
supposed to be a native of Asia, and is not now found in Egypt. It 
grows in the water and puts forth a large white flower, bell-shaped and 
punctuated on top with little cells or cavities in which the seeds grow. 
The seeds cannot drop from these cells but shoot forth plants in the 
matrix where they were formed until they acquire such growth as is 
sufficient to burst them open, when they sink to the bottom of the water 
and take root. "Being therefor reproductive in itself, and as it were, 
of a vivaparous character among plants, the nelumbo was naturally 
adopted as a symbol of the productive power of the waters, which 



17 



258 THREE PILLARS. 



spread life and vegetation over the earth. It also appears to have a 
peculiar sympathy with the sun, the great fountain of life and motion, by 
rising above the waters as it rises above the horizon, and sinking under 
them as it retires below. Accordingly we find it employed in every part 
of the Northern hemisphere where symbolic worship either does or 
ever did prevail. (R. P. Knight). Regeneration being a fundamental 
principle of all the ancient religions, this form of onamentation became 
sacred. The Greeks simply changed the detail but not the general form 
when introducing the acanthus, which being also remarkable for its 
power of reproduction, still held the pillar a sacred object. The Doric 
column, seemingly the only one known to the very ancient Greeks, ap- 
pears also to have been derived from the nelumbo; its capital being the 
same seed vessel pressed flat, as it is when withered and dry; the only 
state in which it had probably been seen in Europe. The Ionic capital 
has no bell, but volutes formed in imitation of sea-shells, which have the 
same symbolism. Another ornament is introduced into this captial 
called eggs and anchors, more properly it should be called eggs and 
spearheads, the symbols of female generative and male destructive 
powers; or in the language of mythology, of Venus and Mars. The 
time was when a pillar or column in a portable form was carried 
before an ecclesiastical dignitary as emblematic of his character as a 
support of the church. 

Some eleven miles from Delhi, in Bengal, stands a very remarkable 
pillar. It is a solid wrought-iron shaft, about twenty-two feet high and 
seventeen inches in diameter. Its origin and age are wrapped in mys- 
tery. Ancient Hindu mythology says that the spot on which it stands is 
the center of the earth, and speaks of it as the "Arm of Fame of Rajah 
Dhava." Rajah Dhava ruled in the early part of the second century 
of the Christian era, and is referred to in the Sanscrit inscription on the 
pillar. Authorities differ on the subject, but it is probable that the 
pillar dates, at least from that time. Considering the appliances availa- 
ble at that period — something like eighteen hundred years ago — it 
would be interesting to know how this mysterious pillar, the exposed 
portion of which alone weighs over eight tons, was made. 

The pillar or column is not frequent in heraldry, but when used it is 
generally shown as of the Doric order. 

The clustering of three pillars in a symbolic group or triad forms 
one of the emblems of the Patriarchal Degree. They are here sym- 
bolical of Faith, Hope and Charity. As representative of Wisdom, 



TOPAZ. 259 

Strength, and Beauty they should be of the regular architectural forms; 
Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian. 
See Three; Column. 

Timbrel* The Hebrew has toph. This was undoubtedly the same 
instrument now called duff or diff by the Arabs, and is essentially the 
same as is known to Western nations as the tambourine. It was used 
principally to accompany dancing, and as dancing was the highest 
expression, the timbrel became the symbol of rejoicing. 

Time* See Scythe. 

Tinkling Cymbals* See Brass, Sounding. 

Token* This is a word of many significations; all, however, con- 
veying the notion of a memorial or a testimony. In the work, where it 
refers to a "deathless friendship," it is synonymous with "testimony." 
In reference to certain emblems or symbols in the First and Second 
Degrees, "remembrance" is its synonym. Its other significations are a 
sign, symbol, an evidence, a characteristic mark or signification, a 
memento or memorial of friendship, a keepsake, a souvenir, a love-gift, 
anything serving as a pledge of good faith, a signal. The word is also 
applied to coins of small intrinsic value compared with their nominal, 
issued by private persons during a scarcity of the government's frac- 
tional currency; their trade value depending entirely upon the credit of 
the issuer. 

It was formerly the practice of the Presbyterian churches in Scot- 
land for their members to present a token — made of lead or tin — before 
partaking of the Lord's Supper, as a testimony that they were duly 
qualified and their tithes paid. These tokens were obtained from 
the clerk of the parish before entering the " kirk." At present cards have 
very generally taken the place of the metal tokens. 

See Bundle of Sticks; Rainbow; Moses' Rod. 

Toleration* See Cardinal Virtue. 

Topaz* Heb. pntDB* pitdah, The second stone in the 

T 

high-priest's breast-plate was engraved with the name of Simeon. The 
stone called topaz by the ancient Greeks and Romans is now considered 
to have been what is as present known as chrysolite, a silicate of mag- 
nesia and iron. According to Pliny, the name of the topaz comes from 



260 TORCH. 

an island in the Red Sea called Topazus, derived from a Greek word 
meaning to seek. It was so named because the island was so beset with 
fogs, that the sailor could only find it with difficulty. The color of 
the topaz (chrysolite) is green varying from a pale yellow tint to a deep 
bottle shade. The old pagan belief in its efficacy to win from the gods 
a favorable answer to prayer, and to ward off threatening dangers, may 
have had its influence when Christianity superseded the old faiths. This 
belief resulted in gifts of faith and homage to shrines, crucifixes and 
vestments for the glory of God, and the honor of the saints. Pope 
Innocent presented a gold ring to King John set with a magnificent 
topaz, as a symbol of good works, one of the four cardinal virtues. The 
ancients also believed the topaz of the greatest value for all hemor- 
rhages, and that it imparted strength and good digestion. In old folk 
lore, the topaz is assigned to the month of November. 

Torch* The torch was originally a heathen symbol which, when 
carried upright, indicated life, but when reversed, signified that life had 
departed. In Christian art it is associated with a few of the lesser 
saints as an instrument of pain and distress. Its association with 
Christian funeral ceremonies is derived, without doubt, from its use 
in the catacombs, where it was an absolute necessity; and to compara- 
tively modern times most funerals were had at night. Its use in the 
work is peculiarly appropriate. 

It is also an attribute of the twelve Sybilla, prophetesses, who 
foretold the coming of Christ. Here it is the symbol of the fight which 
was to come upon the world through Him. 

It is often borne in Heraldry, usually inflamed or lighted. 

The classic nations regarded this emblem as the symbol of new 
life, the resurrection. On the sixth day of the Eleusinia, " Iacchos , 
son of Demeter, son of Dios, with a Torch (the symbol of Resurrection) 
in his hand was borne along the sacred way with shouts." {Anthon, 396). 
" Go then, and for this man display 
Your sacred torches to lead the way 
On his return to light, O Gods under earth!" 

Aristophanes, Frogs, 1442 ff; Wheelwright. 

"The 'reappearance' of the Divine Giver of Joy (Bacchus) was 
symbolized by the Torch of the Anthesteria." (Gebhard, 160). Hymen, 
the god of love, is always represented carrying the bridal torch, the 
emblem of love. 



TRIANGLE. 261 



"But love is indestructible. 
Its holy flame forever burnetii; 
From heaven it came, 
To heaven returneth." 

Southey. 

As with many other emblems, the torch may have, according to its 
use, a diametrically opposed symbolism. The Jews celebrate the feast 
of Purim with torches and fires, to commemorate the joyful deliverance 
of the people from the massacre planned by Haman. 

Torrent* Literally, a rushing and boiling stream, as of lava or 
water. Volume is secondary to violence in the idea. The word is often 
used figuratively for "a violent or everwhelming flow or flood;" as a 
"torrent of vituperative expletives." In its use in the work it is sym- 
bolical of the rush and turmoil of life. 

Triad* In the philosophy of Pythagoras, three, or the triad, is the 
first of unequals; it is the number containing the most sublime mysteries, 
for everything is composed of three substances. It represents God, the 
soul of the world, and the spirit of man. This number which plays so 
great a part in the traditions of Asia, and in Platonic philosophy, is the 
image of the attributes of God. (Baring-Gould). 

See Three. 

Triangle* This emblem, the jewel of the Encampment, is a symbol 
of the Trinity, and a most fitting companion of the Three-Links. The 
arrangement of the Three-Links to form a triangle as the badge of the 




1 06. Interlaced Triangle. 

Patriarchs Militant is extremely felicitous in its symbolism. As the 
Encampment jewel, the triangle, as well at the Three Pillars, symbolizes 
the three celestial virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity. It also symbolizes 
the three patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the three degrees of 
that branch of the Order; and three lessons of those degrees, Hospitality, 



262 TRUTH. 

Toleration, and Rest in Faith. Deeper than all this is its Christian 
symbolism ; the Trinity of the Godhead. " Since the sixteenth century 
the Godhead has been symbolized by the triangle, which is His ' linear 
emblem.' In the center is placed the name of the Father in Hebrew, 
while the whole is surrounded with a blaze of light and glory, as a symbol 
of the 'appearance of brightness' described by the prophet." (Ezek. 
viii, 2). It is often seen in the decorations of churches, and on the 
vestments of bishops, and is essentially an ecclesiastical emblem. Some- 
times to symbolize the Trinity more strongly, three tiangles are inter- 
laced, somewhat after the same idea as the triquetra, or three interlaced 
circles. 

See Three-Links; Six-pointed Star; Aureole. 

Triple-Links. See Three-Links. 

Triskde. A triadic symbol consisting of three lines radiating from 
a common center or a small circle or other form occupying the center. 
The radiating lines are often bent as in the fylfot or swastica, and often 
take some definite shape as in the device on the arms of the Isle of Man, 
which consists of three legs, armored and flexed at the knee. 




107. Triskele. 

Truth* This word, used symbolically throughout the work of Odd- 
Fellowship, is significant of the knowledge and justice of the " Great 
Author of our existence." It is called " the divine attribute, the founda- 
tion of every virtue." 

In that memorable scene described by the Apostle John (xviii, 37-38 
where Jesus stands before Pilate and is asked "What is truth?" we 
see a symbol of man's attitude throughout the ages. Many times in 
jest, but oftener in earnest is the question asked, and it is the function of 
our teachings to imbue a man with a notion, at least, of its actual meaning. 
To know all truth is given to no man nor any class of men. The whole 



TWELVE. 263 



is not found in the halls of science, nor yet in cloisters or cathedrals. 
Neither can it be found in the sea, nor on the mountain top, nor by the 
swift flowing rivers of time. Yet much truth useful for us is here and 
within reach, to be won, however, only through effort. It is an achieve- 
ment to secure the least part. 

See Feathers; Crown; {Ate}). 

Trtlth, Degree of* The peculiar function of this degree is to draw 
attention, not only to the " truth that lies hidden in Symbols, but to the 
everlasting Truth of the Knowledge and Justice of the Almighty Father, 
and the character of that knowledge and justice which brings all men to 
a common level, be they high and mighty or lowly and dependent, 
whereby we find ourselves at the end, though separated through life by 
intellectual or by class distinctions, or by the value of our worldly pos- 
sessions, we are all of one brotherhood, nursed by the same mother, 
Earth, and gathered together as one family in her bosom to sleep the last 
sleep. 

See Scarlet; Third Degree. 

Turban* This, the distinctive head-dress of the Moslems, is 
usually made up of a shawl or cloth wound about a fez or tarboosh, 
though the Arabs make theirs by throwing a square kerchief called a 
keffieh, over the head and securing it with a cord called the akal. Each 
one of these Eastern nations has its own peculiar method of arranging 
and wearing the turban whereby they are easily recognized. Beside 
being the badge of Moslemism it is also the sign of manhood. No 
woman or boy is permitted to wear it, and no man is ever seen with- 
out it. 

Turqtioise* In old folk-lore, this is the stone assigned for luck to 
the month of December. It is opaque and blue or greenish-blue in 
color. The original source of supply being in the mountains of Persia, 
it was transmitted to Europe by way of Turkey; hence the name. 

Twelve* Among the ancient people of the East this number 
appears to have been a favorite. The Chaldaean astronomers, or the 
Akkadian who preceded them on the plains of Chaldaea, having deter- 
mined the signs of the zodiac to be twelve, twelve became frequent as a 
significant numbery The astronomical lore of Chaldaea did not long 
remain the property of its people alone, but was disseminated throughout 
the then known world. An education was confined exclusively to the 



264 TWELVE. 



priestly classes who sought to deify all prominent objects, particularly 
such as appeared in the heavens above them, the twelve zodiacal signs 
were soon personified as gods and thereafter the number twelve became 
almost as sacred as the number seven. From Akkadia-Chaldaea the 
sacredness of the number passed to Egypt, and thence to the classic 
nations. The Jews accepted it from the accidental (?) number of 
ifae children of Jacob-Israel. 

Many references to the twelve signs are found in the cuneiform 
inscriptions upon the clay tablets unearthed in the ruins of Ninevah 
and Babylon. On the wooden cases of a large number of mummies 
found in Egypt, are to be seen illustrations of the twelve houses of the 
heavens. One most prominent effect and domination of the number in 
its relation to the zodiac, is the arbitrary division of the year into 
twelve months. The most logical division would be thirteen as befit- 
ting the luminary from whence was derived the name. 

The "Izdhubar or Deluge Tablets" discovered at Nineveh and 
translated by Mr. George Smith, consisted originally of twelve and are 
said to be definitely connected with the twelve signs of the zodiac. The 
Assyrian sacred tree is usually shown on the monuments with six fruits 
on each side, and one above. This is emblematic of the "tree of life," 
the date palm, which ripens fruit twelve times every year. The odd one 
on the top represents the sun. 

In the Bible twelve is very much in evidence. The sons of Jacob 
were twelve and they begot twelve tribes. There were twelve stones on 
the pectoral ornament of the high-priest, and there were twelve rods 
laid up before the Ark of the Covenant to decide who should wear it. 
Twelve loaves of shew bread were always kept in the Holy Place, and 
twelve brazen oxen supported the great molten sea in the Temple. 
Under the New Dispensation, twelve apostles received the teaching of 
Christ and carried it on to others. The City of the New Jerusalem is 
provided with twelve gates, is twelve thousand furlongs square, is sup- 
ported upon twelve foundations, and the number of its sealed saints is 
twelve times twelve thousand. 

Mohamed, in the Koran, chap, ii, says that when Moses smote the 
rock " there gushed thereout twelve fountains, according to the number 
of the tribes, and all men knew their respective drinking places." 

Greek mythology is provided with twelve titans who were taken as 
types of gigantic size, enormous strength, and lawlessness, and there 
were twelve superior and as many inferior gods. The number was also 



TYPE. 265 

applied to consecrated birds, animals, and trees; thus the owl, she-goat, 
and olive were sacred to Pallas ; the dove, he-goat, and myrtle to Aphro- 
dite; the cock, bull and laurel to Helios; the ibis, dog, and hazel to 
Hermes; the eagle, hart, and aesculus to Zeus; the sparrow, sow, and 
apple-tree to Demeter ; the goose, ass, and box-tree to Hephaistos ; the 
magpie, wolf, and dog-tree to Ares ; the daw, hind, and palm to Artemis ; 
the heron, lion, and pine to Vesta; the peacock, sheep, and ram-thorn 
to Hera; and the swan, horse, and elm to Poseidon. 

Two* The Hebrews often contracted the name Jahveh, God, 
writing it with two letters j"p> J an - Maimonides, the great Jewish 
writer of the 12th century, called it the "two-lettered name." It is 
translated in the authorized version of the Bible by the word "Lord." 

The Akkadians, the ancient people of Mesopotamia, considered the 
universe a sphere and dividing it, the two halves were taken as symbols, 
the upper being put for the celestial paradise, and the lower for the 
terrestrial paradise, or really, the heavens and the earth. The Egyptians 
appear to have conceived two gates in the milky way, one in the northern 
hemisphere by which souls at birth descended ; the other in the southern 
hemisphere by which they returned at death. 

All the ancients seem to have recognized two great principles in 
nature, which were symbolized by fire and water. These were the active 
and productive powers of the universe, as through heat and moisture 
only could they conceive the reproduction of life. In the Pythagorean 
philosophy of numbers, where unity, the monad, stood for the active 
or creative principle, two, the duad, stood for passive or receptive. It 
also represented the extremities of a line, which has no dimension other 
than the distance between two points. For a list of the co-ordinates 
forming the Pythagorean principia, see the last paragraph under Ten. 

It is noticeable that the Ten Commandments compose a duad, 
wherein the first table contains the duties to God, and the second the 
duties to our neighbor. Christ, in his summary of the law, divides 
it by two, saying — "Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and the 
great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself." 

Type* In symbology a symbol or figure which calls to mind some- 
thing similar though not necessarily identical. An emblem, or anything 
that has a representative significance. An antitype is a prefigurement or 



266 WALLS OF THE CITY. 

foreshadowing; particularly in theology, a person, thing, or event in the 
Old Testament, which is regarded as betokening a corresponding 
reality in the New Testament. 

Urim and Thummim. Two mysterious objects, which were placed 
between the folds of the high-priest's breast-plate. What they were or 
what their actual use, it is impossible now to say. Josephus and the 
rabbins, while acknowledging their ignorance upon the subject, sup- 
posed that they were two particularly brilliant and precious jewels, 
diamonds perhaps, and that they gave out oracular answers by their pre- 
ternatural illumination. Urim means "light," and Thummim "per- 
fection." It is entirely probable that when the children of Israel were 
preparing for their flight from Egypt, and taking possession of all the 
transportable property they could lay their hands upon they may have 
secured two extraordinarily fine diamonds. One of these, possibly 
somewhat rough, yet very brilliant, would readily answer to the descrip- 
tion "light"; the other may have been a naturally fine and regularly 
formed crystal, approximating a modern cut form, and this would have 
suited the term "perfection." But all this is mere conjecture and 
speculation, and as Godwin {Moses and Aaron, iv, 8) observes, "he 
spoke best who ingeniously confessed that he knew not what Urim and 
Thummim was." 

See Breast-Plate. 

**V/* The twenty-second letter of the English alphabet. This 
character is the older form of U, and until comparatively modern times 
was used equivalently with that letter. As a Roman numeral it stands 
for 5, and with a line above it, V, for 5,000. The Hebrew ), vav, is 
of the numerical value of 6, while the divine name connected therewith is 
) *) ] ) , Vezio, " Cum Splendore." 

Violet* See Purple. 

Virgin. In the Old Testament, a virgin is used as a symbolic 
representative of a Nation. Isaiah xlvii, 1; Jer. xiv, 17. 

Virtues* See Cardinal Virtues. 

Walls of the City* In ancient times and up to the invention of 
heavy cannon all cities and towns of any consequence were provided with 
walls for defence. Since the use of gunpowder and large projectiles de- 



WATER. 267 

monstrated the fact that they were but trifling hindrances to besiegers, 
no walls have been built, nor have any old ones been repaired, if indeed, 
they have not been, as in London, entirely removed as encumbrances. 
Still the memory of them is retained and allusion often made to them 
as symbolizing defence and safety. In most cases the ancients closed 
their gates of entrance at sundown, though there was usually a small 
port, called in the far East, "the eye of the needle," through which the 
belated traveller might, after much trouble and bribery, gain permission 
to enter. These ports were so narrow and low that but one person 
could pass through at a time, and then only with much lack of dignity. 
Camels without load or saddle were at times forced to wriggle through 
on their bellies. It was this passage through the "wall of the city" to 
which our Lord referred to, when he said, " It is easier for a camel to go 
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of 
God." Otherwise, unless he humbled himself in the dust he would be 
denied entrance. 

Wand* A light rod or staff carried as a badge of authority. As a 
rule the word wand is applied only to lighter rods, as a switch is its 
proper meaning, and it generally refers to a stick that is held up by the 
hand as a pointer or to direct attention. 

See Rod; Staff. 

Washing Hands* See Clean Hands. 

Water* " That the world was born from the midst of the waters is 
taught by the Egyptian doctrines as well as by the first book of Moses ; 
thus the profane is compared to primal matter, damp and without form, 
over which the spirit has not yet moved, and which is born again from 
the waters of baptism." (Portal). This doctrine, says Champollion, 
was professed in Egypt in the most distant times. Water was the mother 
of the world, the matrix of all created beings. On a monument found in 
Egypt is depicted the baptism of a neophyte. The gods Horus and 
Thoth-Lunus are in the act of pouring water upon him. The conse- 
crated water, symbolic of divine life and purity, is represented by 

streams of ansated crosses and hoopoe-headed scepters. 

The legend which accompanies the scene is: "Horus, son of Isis, 



268 WATER. 

baptizes with water and fire; Thoth-Lunus baptizes with water and 
fire." These expressions are repeated sixteen times each. 

"Baptism was the symbol of the mystery of the creation; the pro- 
fane represented the inert and obscure matter; water poured over the 
head figure the fruitful principle which would regenerate." (Ibid.) 

The Greeks, Romans, Hebrew priests, Egyptians, etc., used water 
for purification as a religious duty. The holy water was the symbol of a 
new life. (Stiefelhagen, 153, 160 ff). 

The Jews in their many ritualistic ablutions apparently only fol- 
lowed the secret acts of the Egyptian hierarchy. Moses, who was 
learned in all the knowledge of the Egyptians, simply made public and 
general that which he received in secret and which was the privilege 
of but a few. It seems to be the opinion of most students that there 
were two schools of theology in every nation of antiquity ; one for the use 
of the common people, the other for the priesthood and initiates only. 
The common religion provided anything and everything for the people, 
it mattered not how fantastic it might be, so long at it satisfied them, 
and tended to make them contented and submissive. For themselves 
the priests and initiates of the mysteries studied the true religion of 
God; that religion handed down by the Kabiri, and the priests of Akkad, 
and delivered to the selected few who carried it on through the ancient 
civilizations. It was a religion within a religion; one held as secret as 
the most terrible oaths could maintain. It remained for Moses to spread 
it abroad. Publicly denouncing all forms of profane religion, he offered 
his people the true one as he had received it in secret. Among the many 
things he enjoined was the use of water for ceremonial purification. To 
a greater or lesser extent such use of water obtains among the Jews to 
this day. It is not within the scope of this work to discuss the relative 
merits of sprinkling, pouring, and immersion, all of which are in present 
use ; each having its adherents. The use of water as a purification, led 
at an early age to the blessing of it by the priests, whence it became 
"holy water." The Mosaic use is fully described in Exo. xxx, 17-21; 
xl, 30-32, and in Num. viii, 7; xix, 9 ff. "During the feast of Taber- 
nacles, the priests every morning drew three logs of water in a golden 
vessel from the pool of Siloam and with great and joyful solemnity car- 
ried it through the water gate into the temple and poured it out to the 
southwest of the altar. Some Talmudists claim this ceremony was a 
symbol of rain, others joy, still others of the effusion of the Holy Spirit. 
(Jahn, Bibl. Archae, 451; Isaiah, xxxiii, 15; xliv, 3). 



WATER. 269 

Every Sunday Holy Water is prepared in the Roman Catholic 
churches by exorcism and benediction of salt, and exorcism and bene- 
diction of water, after which the salt is cast into the water and both 
blessed again. The use of the Holy Water stoup at the entrances of 
Greek churches has become practically obsolete. The water is blessed 
in a phiale on the first of every month and used in the houses. At 
Epiphany there is a general blessing of water. 

In the Scriptures, water is used symbolically for trouble; (Psalm, 
lxi, i) for multitude, (Isa. viii, 7) for the gospel, (Isa. lv, 1) for the spirit 
of the Lord, (Isa. xliv, 3; John, iv, 10; vii, 37-38). But the Bible has 
scores of examples of the symbolic use of water in both good and bad 
senses. 

In the Middle Ages, at the consecration of a church, evil spirits were 
exorcised by the use of water, wine, salt, and ashes. (See Salt). 

In classic mythology, water or moisture, with heat, formed the 
first things of religions. The basis of almost all the Greek ideas of 
creation, and all their gods and goddesses were more or less personifica- 
tions of either the fire or water, as male and female ; fire the active, and 
water the passive or productive principles. Venus, the so-called god- 
dess of Love, was fabled to have been born of the water, or poetically, 
of the foam of the sea. Hence her Greek name Aphrodite, or "sea- 
foam." 

Should the wind be in the East on Easter day, one must draw water 
and wash in it, if one would avoid the evil effects of such a wind through- 
out the year. This is one of the old superstitions of Europe. On 
Easter morn the maid-servants in the neighborhood of Mechlenburg 
draw fresh water, or over night spread out linen clothes upon the grass, 
and in the morning wash themselves with the dew or rain that is upon 
them, as a preventative against sickness for the whole year. The 
Sachsen peasants ride their horeses into the water to ward sickness 
from them. There appears to be no virtue in the Easter water, however, 
if the wind is not in the East when drawn. (Walsh). 

The Negro tribes of South Africa always bathe themselves in water 
on returning from battle, to clear themselves of the blood of enemies 
slain by them, for fear the spirits of the dead might haunt them later. 

Water is used figuratively in many ways. As applied to precious 
stones, it is used to describe their comparative brilliancy and purity; 
involving also their refractive power From this use the figure has been 
extended in noting the degree of excellence or fineness of any object of 



270 WELL. 

esteem. When one gets into difficulty, is embarrassed or sore distressed, 
it is said that he is in deep water; while to be above water — literally 
afloat — is to be out of difficulty or embarrassment; and at high-water 
mark he has attained the highest possible limit. A doubtful story is 
often said not to hold water, because like water in a leaky vessel the 
truth is liable to escape from it. Again, one by interfering in things not 
concerning himself is liable to get into hot water. In a race, where a 
boat slows up and falls behind another, it "takes water." Hence to 
weaken in a contest or a dispute, to back out or back down, is rated as 
taking water. To throw cold water upon a proposal, plan or project 
is to check it by indifference, reluctness, or unexpected suggestions. 
Water in one's shoes notes a sense of discomfort or irritation. To the 
weak decoctions served to them as tea and coffee, sailors apply the 
term "frightened water." 

When water is used as a libation in consecrating a building or other 
object, it is emblematical of purity; symbolizing the purity of purpose 
to which the object is consecrated. Its use in the Patriarchal Degree 
is symbolical of refreshment. See Clean Hands. 

Water Flowing from the Rock. " And Moses cried unto the Lord, 
saying, What shall I do unto this people ? they be almost ready to stone 
me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take 
with thee the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the 
river, take in thine hand and go: Behold, I will stand before thee there 
upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall 
come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in 
the sight of the elders of Israel. Exo. xvii, 4-7. 

The water flowing from the rock is typical, not only of the out- 
pouring of God's graciousness whereby the body received refreshment, 
but of His spirit which refreshed the spirits of all who drank thereof. 
See 1, Cor. x, 4. 

Weeds, Pilgrim's. See Pilgrim's Weeds. 

Well* The Mohamedan's sacred well called Zemzem, at Mecca, 
which they drink of and wash in, is but a type of many such holy objects. 
The Jews had their Pool of Bethesda ; the tribes of Central America and 
Mexico had their sacred springs to which sacrifices were made. With 
awe and reverence, the Coloradan Indians bring their sick to the 
boiling springs. The Zufii Indians have their sacred well at which reli- 



WELL. 271 

gious rights are performed, and offerings presented to. In fact, all over 
the world, where religious rites are performed, wells and springs have 
ever been the locale if not the object of worship. A good reason for this 
is found in the fact that many springs have a therapeutic value, either for 
internal use or as a bath. Another reason may be that in that portion 
of the world where religion first became a prominent trait of human 
nature, or rather where the human race first developed, the land was dry 
for the greater part of the year, and wells were few and far between. 
When located they were to the caravans that crossed the plains, what 
the isles of the sea are to ships. The longing and the prayers of thirsty 
travellers were turned to praises and thank offerings to God when the 
well was reached and the cool and refreshing water relieved their dis- 
tress. The well Zemzem mentioned above is fabled to have been the 
one opened by God for Hagar and Israel in the desert when they were 
dying from thirst. See Gen. xxvi, 15; 1 Chron. xvii, 18; 2 Chron. xxvi, 
10; Isa. xii, 3; John, iv, 6. 

Wells in the East were usually excavated from the solid rock. 
Sometimes they were furnished with steps to descend to the water, but 
more frequently provided with the shadoof, sl long pole or lever swung 
upon a frame at a point about one-third of its length from one end. 
The longer arm overhung the well and to it was attached the bucket or 
water-skin ; the shorter end being heavily weighted with a lump of clay 
or other heavy object as a counterpoise. There are many instances 
where the support is a crotched post and is then nothing more or less 
than our New England well-sweep. The wells were usually provided 
with a stone curb or wall, and such as are in use at the present time 
bear the marks of great age in the furrows worn by the ropes in drawing 
water. Not all the wells were provided with these conveniences, for 
many were far from habitations and were uncared for, though used by 
travellers on their journeys, and by herdsmen when far from home. 
Many cities were born of the locations of wells. In those Eastern coun- 
tries where no rain falls for months, and the streams are dry for the 
greater part of the year, the inhabitants flock about the wells and build 
villages and towns. It was at a well just outside of the city of Nahor, 
in Mesopotamia, that the servant of Abraham found the beautiful 
Rebekah, who became the wife of Isaac and one of the " Mothers in 
Israel" 

As water for all purposes in these arid countries was only obtainable 
from wells during the greater part of the year, they were the places at 



272 WHITE. 

which the people met and gossiped and exchanged the news. Hence 
the many incidents of the Bible occurring beside or in the neighborhood 
of wells. At the well the travellers alighted from their camels and asses, 
removed their dusty sandals, bathed their feet and quenched their thirst, 
and stretched their weary forms under the grateful shade of the ever 
young palm trees during the heat of the day. Here friendships were 
made and unions formed for mutual protection. So what was first the 
symbol of refreshment only, became the emblem of friendship and 
union. 

Wheat* In laying the corner-stone of an Odd Fellows' building, 
the grand officer in charge strews wheat upon it three times. This 
use of wheat, together with wine and oil, for the consecration of build- 
ings, altars and religious structures is very ancient. The wheat (corn) 
signifies that that which supports and strengthens the physical life of 
man is symbolical of the Truth that supports and strengthens his spiritual 
life. Further, it symbolizes the growth and development of the building 
of which the corner-stone is but the beginning, as well as the growth and 
development of the association for which the building is to be the home. 
The offering of an omer or first sheaf of the harvest (Lev. xxiii, 10-14) 
signified deliverance from winter, the bondage of Egypt being con- 
sidered as a winter in the history of the Jews. A sack of wheat was to 
the Egyptians the emblem of intelligence and prudence. 

See Corn; Corner-stone. 

White has ever been considered the emblem of purity, virginity, 
faith, joy, light, innocence, and holiness. " Many shall be purified and 
made white and tried." Dan. xii, 10. "He that overcometh shall be 
clothed in white raiment." Rev. iii, 5. From the most ancient times 
to the present day, white has been the principal garment of the priest 
and priestess of whatsoever nation or tribe. The priests of Fides, the 
Vestal virgins, the Druids, the various priests of Egypt, the Babylonian 
and Persian magi, as well as the priests of the Jewish tabernacle and 
temple were all arrayed in white robes. White was the color of one of 
the curtains of the tabernacle, where, according to Josephus, it sym- 
bolized the element of earth. The Hebrew word 1 . JJ 7, laban, 
signifies not only "to purify" but "to make white." At the dedication 
of Solomon's temple, the Levites were clad in spotless white. 2 Chron. 
v, 12. Isaiah, in i, 18, speaking for the Lord, says — " Though your sins 



WHITE. 273 

be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." In Matthew xvii, 2, 
we read that as Jesus stood transfigured " His raiment was white as the 
light" and in xxviii, 3, it was as white as snow. As part of the reward 
" to him that overcometh is to be given a white stone " and " in that stone 
a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth 
it." Throughout the Good Book we find white used in the sense of pur- 
ity and holiness, and from this the early Christian Church required the 
candidates for fellowship to be clothed in white garments, and the vest- 
ments of the clergy also to be white. 

To a great extent in former times, white was used as a type of re- 
generation of the soul, hence it became the only proper color for covering 
the dead, from which practice white became the general badge of mourn- 
ing, and so continued to be as late as the Elizabeth period. Indeed, 
it is so today in China, where at funerals the chief mourners are clothed 
entirely in white; while friends don a sash of the same. Among the 
ancient Britons the official color of the dress of the druid or priest was 
spotless white. 

"Like unto the physical character of the primary colors, which 
upon combining produces white, so we take white as a symbol of the 
combination of all the graces and virtues that at once beautify and ele- 
vate the character of man." It is this idea that is intended to be ex- 
pressed in the colloquial language of the day, when we say of a man, 
"He is white." That is, he is honest, just, and generous, with a little 
more generosity than justice. 

Referring to metals, white is representative of silver. This is par- 
ticularly so in Heraldry, where white is blazoned argent (silver) though 
the ancient term was pearl. White sealing wax is used for communica- 
tions relating to marriage. The Romans used to mark with a white 
stone (chalk) the days on the calendar which they considered peculiarly 
fortunate, or such as were held in great esteem. 

"Peace o'er the world her olive wand extend, 
And white-robed Innocence from heaven descend." 

There is a popular superstition in England regarding white 
coronation robes. It has been noticed that the only persons who wore 
white robes at their coronation — Richard II, Henry VI, and Charles I — 
came to violent ends. 

"White signifies wisdom in three degrees; in the first, white light 
denotes Divine Wisdom, which is goodness itself; in the second degree, 

18 



274 WILDERNESS. 



the diamond and the crystal are the symbols of spiritual wisdom, which 
possesses the interior intellect of the Divinity; and lastly, in the third 
degree, the white and opaque stone, and the vestments of linen, signify 
natural wisdom, or external faith, which produces works." 

" God is life, the unity which embraces the universe. l I am that I 
am,' said Jehovah, The white color should then be the symbol of 
absolute Truth, of Him who is. It alone reflects all the luminous rays ; 
it is the unity whence emanates the primitive colors, and the thousand 
hues which color nature." 

"The Moors designated by this emblem, purity, sincerity, inno- 
cence, indifference, simplicity, candour; applied to woman, it indicates 
chastity; to a young girl, virginity; to a judge, integrity; to a rich man, 
humility." (Portal, Sym. of Colours). 

Of the four horses of the Apocalypse, the first horse was white, and 
he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he 
went forth conquering and to conquer. The white horse indicates the 
power of light over darkness, good over evil, and truth over falsehood. 

See Feathers; Garter; Silver. 

White Degree* The first degree under the old work was so-called 
because white was the color assigned to it for regalia, etc. 
See First Degree. 

White Gloves. Like unto their color, white gloves are emblematical 
of purity and innocence, and symbolize the integrity of the wearer. 
See White. 

Widow's Shield* This is a figurative reference to the Almighty, 
after the same style of language that pervades the Scriptures, where in 
many places reference is made to God as a shield and defence. 

Among many others may be found; "The Lord is the shield of thy 
help," Deut. xxx, 29; Ps. xxx, 20; cxv, 9, 10, 11; "God is my shield," 
2 Sam. xxii, 3; "Thou O Lord art a shield," Ps. iii, 3; lix, 11; lxxxiv, 
7; "The Lord is my strength and my shield," Ps. xxviii, 7; "The Lord 
God is a sun and a shield," lxxxiv, 11; "God is a shield to them that 
put their trust in him," Prov. xxx, 5. 

See Shield. 

Wilderness* Referring particularly to the great plain of Paran, it 
must not be understood that it was or is a desert. Being simply an 



WINE AND OIL, 275 



uninhabited country, where nomadic bands of half-wild herdsmen 
pasture their cattle, it is emblematical of wandering and homelessness. 
See Paran. 

Wine* The custom of using wine in pledging friendship and in 
marriage is an outgrowth of a barbaric rite having its foundation in 
cannibalism. It is the savage rite of blood-brotherhood, in which two 
are bound by closer ties than that of the family. The blood of each 
was transfused into that of the other. It is an extremely ancient and 
widely distributed custom, and is frequently alluded to in the Bible. 
Probably derived from the notion that the blood is the life, and the 
heart being its fountain head and the very soul of a person, this trans- 
ference of the blood is equivalent to an actual transfer of a portion of the 
soul and thus causes a union of the two natures. As savage life is 
becoming more and more restricted this bloody custom is giving way to a 
less strenuous one. The first change was to drop the blood into wine; 
now the blood is entirely omitted, and the wine alone being used. This 
blood covenant is symbolized in the Christian sacrament. 

As a portion of the meal — or unbloody sacrifice — offered up morn- 
ing and evening in the Jewish tabernacle, or temple, wine is symbolical 
of that vigor of life that comes of the Lord. 

In the Middle Ages, evil spirits were exorcised at the consecration 
of a church by the use of water, wine, salt, and ashes. The wine was 
emblematic of the exaltation of the soul. See Salt. In the blessing 
given to Jacob, "With corn and wine have I sustained him;" the wine 
which makes glad the heart of man, symbolizes the temporal prosperity 
which the expression was meant to convey. " Wine, which was so much 
employed in the sacred rites of the Greeks, was held in abomination by 
the Egyptians, who gave way to none of those ecstatic raptures of devo- 
tion which produced Bacchanalian frenzy and oracular prophecy; but 
which also produced Greek poetry, the parent of all that is sublime and 
elegant in the works of man." 

In the Bible we find that to wine is attributed the " darkly flashing 
eye, the unbridled tongue, the excitement of the spirit, the enchained 
affections of its votaries, the perverted judgment, indecent exposure, and 
the sickness resulting from the heat (bottles) of wine." 

Wine and Oil* Among the Arabs to this day, as well as in olden 
times in the same country, wine and oil were freely used not only inter- 
nally, but as lotions externally. In default of other liniments, such as 



276 WOMEN. 



the balm of Gilead and oil of Zackum, the ancient people of the East 
did not hesitate to use that which was intended for refreshment and food. 
A particular mention of this is made by our Lord in his parable of the 
Good Samaritan, who poured wine and oil upon the wounds of the half- 
murdered Jew. (Luke, x, 34). 
See Balm; Wine; Oil. 

Wings* The ancient's conception of the greatest speed was derived 
from the wind. Nothing known to them equalled it in swiftness. But 
it was invisible, intangible, and, as with all other notions of things 
unseen, yet felt, it was symbolized by something more tangible. Hence 
wings, being the most natural, were selected for the purpose. (Psalms 
civ. 3; xviii, 10). The expression — "the wings of the wind" is quite 
frequent in the Bible. The ancients did not fail to observe that the 
fowls of the air gathered their young beneath their wings when danger 
appeared, so that as symbolical of protection the word occurs quite as 
frequently in Holy Writ. 

It is said that the wings upon the cherubim that hovered over the 
Ark of the Testimony, were emblematical of the swiftness of obedience. 
The sun was often depicted by the Egyptians with wings, as indicative 
of his soaring flight across the sky. In classic mythology, Hermes or 
Mercury, and often Isis and Heos, (Dawn) as well as other divinities 
were provided with sandals having small wings. These were called 
telaria, as they apparently were attached to the ankles. "They 
symbolized the faculty of swift and unimpeded passage through 
space." 

Women* Certain women as well as certain men are often used as 
emblematical of others, or as characteristic types. Thus Abishag, a 
beautiful Shunemite, espoused by King David, in the hope that she 
would comfort him in his old age, has become the type of a " comforting 
nurse." Charlotte Corday who murdered Marat, the leader of the 
Jacobins or revolutionary party of France in 1793, is a type of 
misguided heroism, though Lamartine calls her "the Angel of 
Assassination." The various "mothers in Israel," who are alluded 
to in the Rebekah ritual are all strong examples of symbolic woman- 
hood, as are also, in their way, the other "great" women there 
named. 

See Deborah; Esther; Hannah; Miriam; Mother of Samson; 
Rebekah; Ruth; Sarah. 



YELLOW. 277 



"X/* The twenty-fourth letter in the English alphabet stands as a 
numeral for the perfect number 10. When laid horizontally, X, it 
stands for 1,000, and with a line over it, X, for 10,000. In abbreviations, 
X stands for Christ, as in Xn, Xmas; Christian, Christmas. 



4f 



*Y" The twenty-fifth letter of our alphabet. As a medieval 
Roman numeral Y stands for 150, and with the line above it, Y, for 
1 50,000. Y was adopted by Pythagorr ^ as a symbol, and held by him 
to signify the different paths of V'xtue and Vice. The right-hand 
branch was supposed to lead to Virtue, while the left-hand branch lead 
to Vice. It is often spoken ^ as the letter of Pythagoras; "Litera 
Pythagorae." 

Yellow* As representing gold, yellow is the color of the Golden 
Rule Degree. As gold w used to represent the sun, so indirectly does 
yellow represent the flaming orb. An old French writer, however, con- 
tends that the three are not equal, that is, the sun, gold and yellow, 
but signify different degrees almost too difficult to define. The natural 
sun in the ancient mysteries was symbolical of the spiritual God, the 
Creator and Ruler of the universe, and gold is the representative of only 
the natural sun, while yellow is the emblem of gold. From this one 
would say that the symbolical significance of the color is derived solely 
from its relation as a tint to gold, and can hardly be accepted as the 
representative 01 the Almighty. The ancients, however, had a second- 
ary significance for the color yellow, in that it represented the rays of the 
divine Light or Wisdom; while red represented the rays of divine Heat 
or Power 

Yellcw in Christian symbolism is seldom met with except as rep- 
resenting or as a substitute for gold, in which case it is the symbol for 
love, constancy, dignity, and wisdom. In everyday use we find yellow 
reo T esentative of far opposite qualities, such as jealousy, treason, or a 
^est. Judas Iscariot is usually depicted in a yellow robe, while a yellow 
flag floats over the ship carrying passengers afflicted with contagious 
diseases, and it marks the pest house. 

Yellow is a most vital color, and in a sense is the most opaque. 
Having no perspective it is the last color to' fade in a landscape. Mrs. 
Jameson, in a note taken from Ford's Handbook of Spain, says — " When 
a yellow color is communicated to dull or coarse surfaces, such as com- 
mon cloth, felt, or the like, on which it does not appear with full energy, 
the disagreeable alluded to is apparent. By a slight and scarely per- 



278 ZACCHAI. 



ceptible change, the beautiful impression of fire and gold is transformed 
into one not undeserving the epithet foul, and the color of honor and joy 
reversed to that of ignominy and aversion. To this impression the 
yellow hat of the bankrupt, and the yellow circles on the mantles of the 
Jews may have owed their origin. The color proper to the dress of Judas 
is a dirty, dingy yellow. In Spain this color is always used with images 
of the arch traitor. In both Spain and Italy malefactors and galley 
slaves are clothed in yellow. At v enice Jews are obliged to wear yellow 
hats." (Hist. Sac. and Leg. Art.) 

Portal says, " Divine wisdom had white for a symbol as divine love 
had red; golden yellow reunites these S-Vmifications and forms them 
into one, but with the character of manifestation and revelation. Color 
is the thread of Ariadne, who guides in the labyrinth of ancient religions. 
The dog initiator, who strikes and repulses the spirits of darkness, had, 
according to the Zend-Avesta, the eyes and eyebrows yellow, and the 
ears white and yellow. The yellow eye was the emblem of understand- 
ing by revelation, and the ears, white and yellow, figured the instruction 
of the holy doctrine, which was wisdom revealed.'' 

" The symbolism of the middle ages preserved with purity the tra- 
ditions of the yellow color. The Moors distinguished in it two symbols, 
opposed by two different grades of the color. The golden yellow sig- 
nified the wise and oj good counsel, and the pale yellow treason and 
deception. The Rabbis pretend that the fruit of the forbidden tree was a 
citron, by the opposition of its pale color and of its acidity with golden 
color, and the sweetness of the orange or golden apple, according to the 
Latin expression." 

In blazonry, gold is the emblem of love, of constancy, and of wisdom 
and by opposition, yellow still, in our day, denotes inconstancy, jealousy, 
and adultery. 

See Garter; Gold; Red. 

"1" The twenty-sixth letter of the English alphabet and the last. 
Its phonetic equivalent in the Hebrew is ], zain, where its numerical 
value is seven. The Greek equivalent is C, zeta. 

ZacchaL Hebrew *0|, pure. A name also applied to the 
Deity. 



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